October 13, 2024
The Earth has carried you around the Sun again, steady as ever, while the stars kept their patient watch.
Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps
Birthday · October 13, 2024
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APOD published October 13, 2024 · Video still. Credit: Cristian Bigontina. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Did you see last night's aurora? This question was relevant around much of the world a few days ago because a powerful auroral storm became visible unusually far from the Earth's poles. The cause was a giant X-class solar flare on Tuesday that launched energetic electrons and protons into the Solar System, connecting to the Earth via our planet's magnetic field. A red glow of these particles striking oxygen atoms high in Earth's atmosphere pervades the frame, while vertical streaks dance. The featured video shows a one-hour timelapse as seen from Cortina d'Ampezzo over Alps Mountain peaks in northern Italy. Stars from our Milky Way Galaxy dot the background while streaks from airplanes and satellites punctuate the foreground. The high recent activity of our Sun is likely to continue to produce picturesque auroras over Earth during the next year or so. Gallery: Global aurora during October 10/11, 2024
Image credit: Cristian Bigontina