Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos!
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2014 October 3
Aurora and Milky Way in a Little Sky
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Göran Strand
Explanation:
Stepping stones seem to lead to the Milky Way
as it stretches across this
little
sky.
Of course, the scene is really the northern hemisphere's
autumnal
equinox night.
Water and sky are inverted by a top to bottom, around the horizon
stereographic projection
centered on the zenith above Lake
Storsjön in Jämtland, Sweden.
In the north the Milky Way arcs from east to west overhead as fall begins,
but the season is also a good time for viewing
aurora.
Geomagnetic storms
increase in frequency near
the equinox and produce remarkable displays of northern lights
at high latitudes, like the eerie greenish glow reflected
in this watery cosmos.
Tomorrow's picture: along the ecliptic
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(
MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (
UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman
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