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Credit & Copyright: Bjørnar G. Hansen
Explanation:
Northern Lights,
or aurora borealis, haunted
skies
over the island of Kvaløya, near Tromsø Norway on 2009 December
13.
This 30 second long exposure records their shimmering
glow gently lighting the wintery coastal scene.
A study in contrasts, it also captures the sudden flash of
a fireball meteor from the excellent
Geminid meteor shower in 2009 December.
Streaking past familiar stars in the handle of the
Big Dipper, the trail points back
toward the constellation Gemini, off the top of the view.
Both aurora and meteors occur in Earth's upper atmosphere at altitudes
of 100 kilometers or so, but
aurora caused by energetic charged particles from the
magnetosphere,
while meteors are trails of cosmic dust.
Toward the end of this week the
2014 Geminids meteor shower will peak, although they will
compete with the din of last quarter moonlight.
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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 - meteor
Publications with words: aurora borealis - meteor
See also: