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Credit & Copyright: Tor Even Mathisen;
Music: Per Wollen;
Vocals: Silje Beate Nilssen
Explanation:
Have you ever seen an aurora?
Auroras are occurring again with increasing frequency.
With the Sun peaking at its
eleven year maximum in aurora-triggering activity, it is exhibiting
a greater abundance of
sunspots,
flares, and
coronal mass ejections.
Solar activity
like this typically
expels charged particles into the Solar System, some of which impact Earth's magnetosphere
and trigger
Earthly auroras.
In late 2010, the
above timelapse displays
of picturesque auroras were
captured above
Tromsэ,
Norway.
Curtains of auroral light, usually green,
flow,
shimmer and
dance as
energetic particles fall toward the Earth and
excite atoms of air high up in the Earth's atmosphere.
There may even be
opportunities to see
auroras tonight, as
recent solar explosions
have triggered numerous
aurora sightings over the past few days.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: aurora
Publications with words: aurora
See also: