                        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.

                                 2023 July 4
     Planet Venus is pictured in ultraviolet light. The spherical planet
      appears circular in tan colors with hints of blue. Complex cloud
     patterns are evident. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                       Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier

   Explanation: It seemed like the sky exploded. The original idea was to
   photograph an aurora over a waterfall. After waiting for hours under
   opaque clouds, though, hope was running out. Others left. Then,
   unexpectedly, the clouds moved away. Suddenly, particles from a large
   solar magnetic storm were visible impacting the Earth's upper
   atmosphere with full effect. The night sky filled with colors and
   motion in a thrilling auroral display. Struggling to steady the camera
   from high Earthly winds, the 34 exposures that compose the featured
   image were taken. The resulting featured composite image shows the
   photogenic Godafoss (Goðafoss) waterfall in northern Iceland in front
   of a very active aurora in late February. The solar surface explosion
   that expelled the energetic particles occurred a few days before. Our
   Sun is showing an impressive amount of surface activity as it
   approaches solar maximum, indicating that more impressive auroras are
   likely to appear in Earth's northern and southern sky over the next few
   years.

                     Tomorrow's picture: very large map
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

