                        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.

                               2021 October 30
     See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             A Rorschach Aurora
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Gran Strand

   Explanation: If you see this as a monster's face, don't panic. It's
   only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in
   patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is
   actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored
   like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it
   were captured on a September night from the middle of a
   waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With
   geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays
   could be very active at planet Earth's high latitudes in the coming
   days. But if you see a monster's face in your own neighborhood tomorrow
   night, it might just be Halloween.

              Tomorrow's picture: The Dark Matter of Halloween
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

