September 9, 2014
The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us, and yet here you are — a collection of atoms that somehow learned to think, to...
An Aurora Cupcake with a Milky Way Topping
Birthday · September 9, 2014
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
Date & occasion only
Change the year
APOD published September 9, 2014. Credit: Göran Strand. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This sky looked delicious. Double auroral ovals were captured above the town lights of �stersund, Sweden, last week. Pictured above, the green ovals occurred lower to the ground than violet aurora rays above, making the whole display look a bit like a cupcake. To top it off, far in the distance, the central band or our Milky Way Galaxy slants down from the upper left. The auroras were caused by our Sun ejecting plasma clouds into the Solar System just a few days before, ionized particles that subsequently impacted the magnetosphere of the Earth. Aurora displays may continue this week as an active sunspot group rotated into view just a few days ago.
Image credit: Göran Strand