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Credit & Copyright: Bjørnar G. Hansen
Explanation:
Northern Lights,
or aurora borealis, haunted
skies
over the island of Kvaløya, near Tromsø Norway on 2009 December
13.
This 30 second long exposure records their shimmering
glow gently lighting the wintery coastal scene.
A study in contrasts, it also captures the sudden flash of
a fireball meteor from the excellent
Geminid meteor shower in 2009 December.
Streaking past familiar stars in the handle of the
Big Dipper, the trail points back
toward the constellation Gemini, off the top of the view.
Both aurora and meteors occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes
of 100 kilometers or so, but
aurora caused by energetic charged particles from the
magnetosphere,
while meteors are trails of cosmic dust.
Toward the end of this week the
2014 Geminids meteor shower will peak, although they will
compete with the din of last quarter moonlight.
Now Available:
APOD 2015 Wall Calendars
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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 borealis - meteor
Publications with words: aurora borealis - meteor
See also:
- APOD: 2025 August 6 Á Meteor before Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 July 23 Á Fireball over Cape San Blas
- APOD: 2025 February 10 Á Auroral Hummingbird over Norway
- APOD: 2024 December 23 Á Christmas Tree Aurora
- APOD: 2024 November 27 Á The Meteor and the Comet
- APOD: 2024 May 22 Á Green Aurora over Sweden
- North Celestial Aurora