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Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini
Explanation:
The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really
Iceland.
The rock arch is named
Gatklettur and located on the island's northwest coast.
Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a meter across.
The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged over long exposures.
The featured image is a composite of several foreground and
background shots taken with the same camera and from the
same location on the same night last November.
The location was picked for its picturesque foreground,
but the timing was planned for its colorful background:
aurora.
The spiral aurora, far behind the arch, was one of
the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life.
The coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as
auroral patterns
waved and danced for hours during the cold night.
Far in the background were the unchanging stars, with
Earth's rotation causing them to appear to slowly
circle the sky's northernmost point near
Polaris.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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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
Publications with words: aurora borealis
See also: