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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.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

A Memorable Aurora Over Norway

Explanation: It was one of the most memorable auroras of the season. There was green light , red light, and sometimes a mixture of the two. There were multiple rays , distinct curtains , and even an auroral corona . It took up so much of the sky. In the background were stars too numerous to count , in the foreground a friend trying to image the same sight. The scene was captured with a fisheye lens around and above Tromsø, Norway, last month. With the Sun becoming more active, next year might bring even more spectacular aurora.

Date December 5, 2011
Credit Image Credit & Copyright: Ole Christian Salomonsen
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.