Friday, September 21, 2012

APOD 1.4 September's Aurora

September's Aurora: 21 Sept 2012


The day after this picture was taken (September 21st) marked the Autumnal Equinox.  The Autumnal Equinox occurs when the sun crosses the descending node on the Celestial Equator.  During the times near equinoxes, auroras tend to be more spectacular.  This picture was taken on the coast of Norway along the sea coast.  Although it does not appear so from Earth, the lines in an aurora are parallel.  Polaris is visible in this image to the upper right of the palm tree.  Also, in the green area in the lower left of the image, Altair (a star in the constellation Aquila) can be seen.  

1 comment:

  1. I like how you posted this the day before the autumnal equinox and gave an explanation so people would be informed the day of the equinox.

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