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Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi
(TWAN)
Explanation:
It looks like
a fine collection of aggies.
But this grid of embedded swirls and streaks actually follows
the dramatic development of
planet Earth's auroral substorms.
The sequence of over 600 horizon-to-horizon fisheye images was
taken over a 2 hour period near the artic circle in March of
2012 from Lapland, northern Sweden.
It begins at upper left in evening twilight and
ends at lower right, covering
two activity peaks with bright coronae forming overhead.
While exploring space between Earth and Moon, NASA's fleet of
THEMIS spacecraft discovered
that these explosions of auroral activity are driven by sudden
releases of energy in the Earth's magnetosphere.
Even if you're not
playing
for keepsies, you can follow this link to check out the sequence in a
full timelapse video (vimeo).
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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
Publications with words: aurora borealis
See also: