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Credit & Copyright: Elizabeth M. Ryan;
Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt
Explanation:
Legends collide in this dramatic vista of land, sea, and sky.
The land is Iceland, specifically
VÌk Ì MÙrdal, a southern village known for its beautiful
black sand beaches.
The sea, the Atlantic Ocean,
surrounds
Reynisdrangar, a sea stack
of eroded basaltic rock
pillars that
Icelandic
folklore
tells are the petrified remains of
trolls
once attempting to drag a three-masted ship onto land.
Watching
from overhead and shining bright on the upper right is the
god of the sky, according
to
Greek mythology: the
planet Jupiter.
Also visible in the sky are several other Greek legends encapsulated as
constellations,
including a lion
(Leo),
a big bear (Ursa Major),
and a water snake (Hydra).
One might guess that all of this commotion caused the
spectacular
aurora pictured -- but really it was just
explosions
from the Sun.
Display the Universe:
APOD 2016 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
Publications with words: aurora
See also:
- APOD: 2024 December 8 Á Aurora around Saturns North Pole
- APOD: 2024 October 16 Á Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
- APOD: 2024 October 13 Á Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps
- Northern Lights, West Virginia
- Aurora Australis and the International Space Station
- APOD: 2024 June 26 Á Timelapse: Aurora, SAR, and the Milky Way
- APOD: 2024 June 12 Á Aurora over Karkonosze Mountains