Astronomy Picture of the Day
    


The SAR and the Milky Way
<< Yesterday 11.11.2023 Tomorrow >>
The SAR and the Milky Way
Credit & Copyright: Julien Looten
Explanation: This broad, luminous red arc was a surprising visitor to partly cloudy evening skies over northern France. Captured extending toward the zenith in a west-to-east mosaic of images from November 5, the faint atmospheric ribbon of light is an example of a Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc. The rare night sky phenomenon was also spotted at unusually low latitudes around world, along with more dynamic auroral displays during an intense geomagnetic storm. SAR arcs and their relation to auroral emission have been explored by citizen science and satellite investigations. From altitudes substantially above the normal auroral glow, the deep red SAR emission is thought to be caused by strong heating due to currents flowing in planet Earth's inner magnetosphere. Beyond this SAR, the Milky Way arcs above the cloud banks along the horizon, a regular visitor to night skies over northern France.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
 < November 2023  >
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su


12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930


Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
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:
All publications on this topic >>