Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2024 February 25
   [2]A green aurora fills a star filled sky. A mountain and a lake are in
    the foreground. The aurora may resemble, to some, a flying or rising
     Phoenix. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                        A Phoenix Aurora over Iceland
        Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Hallgrimur P. Helgason; Rollover
                         Annotation: [4]Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: All of the other aurora watchers had gone home. By 3:30 am
   in [5]Iceland, on a quiet September night, much of that night's auroras
   had died down. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a new burst of particles
   streamed down from space, lighting up the [6]Earth's atmosphere once
   again. This time, surprisingly, [7]pareidoliacally, the night lit up
   with an [8]amazing [9]shape reminiscent of a giant [10]phoenix. With
   camera equipment at the ready, two quick sky images were taken,
   followed immediately by a third of the land. The mountain in the
   background is [11]Helgafell, while the small foreground river is called
   Kaldá, both located about 30 kilometers north of Iceland's capital
   [12]Reykjavík. [13]Seasoned skywatchers will note that just above the
   mountain, toward the left, is the [14]constellation of Orion, while the
   [15]Pleiades [16]star cluster is also visible just above the frame
   center. The 2016 [17]aurora, which lasted only a minute and was soon
   gone forever -- would possibly be dismissed as a [18]fanciful fable --
   were it not captured in the [19]featured, digitally-composed, image
   mosaic.

   Your Sky Surprise: [20]What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn; [36]Specific rights apply.
              [37]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC,
                         [41]NASA Science Activation
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2402/PhoenixAurora_Helgason_3130.jpg
   3. https://www.facebook.com/IcelandicPhotos/
   4. https://geckzilla.com/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland
   6. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/science/atmosphere-layers2.html
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140429.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121003.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)
  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BuhpUn0LsE
  12. https://youtu.be/-5exa7svE5Y
  13. https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7071/7180595308_f6ba60d0b8_b.jpg
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101117.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140225.html
  16. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=18009
  17. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/aurora/
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_tale
  19. https://www.facebook.com/Icelandic.Photos/photos/pb.1859684057503918.-2207520000.1458064624./2130278890444432/
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240224.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240225
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240226.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  41. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/