                        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.

                                2026 March 8
    A leafless tree is pictured below a starry sky. In the sky behind the
   tree is an aurora glowing mostly green but with some purple. The shape
   of the aurora seems to follow the branches of the tree. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                               The Aurora Tree
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Alyn Wallace

   Explanation: Yes, but can your tree do this? Pictured is a visual
   coincidence between the dark branches of a nearby tree and bright glow
   of a distant aurora. The beauty of the aurora -- combined with how it
   seemed to mimic a tree right nearby -- mesmerized the photographer to
   such a degree that he momentarily forgot to take pictures. When viewed
   at the right angle, it seemed that this tree had aurora for leaves.
   Fortunately, before the aurora morphed into a different overall shape,
   he came to his senses and captured the awe-inspiring momentary
   coincidence. Typically triggered by solar explosions, aurora are caused
   by high energy electrons impacting the Earth's atmosphere around 150
   kilometers up. The unusual Earth-sky collaboration was witnessed in
   March of 2017 in Iceland.

    Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
                                    1995)
                       Tomorrow's picture: big brained
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

