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23/12/2024

ASTRONOMY - Christmas Tree Aurora

 2024 December 23

A star filled night sky is shown with aurora
visible in blue, purple and green. The aurora could
be perceived to be a spruce tree, or even a 
Christmas tree. 
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Christmas Tree Aurora
Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang

Explanation: It was December and the sky lit up like a Christmas tree. Shimmering, the vivid green, blue, and purple auroral colors that formed the tree-like apparition were caused by high atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen reacting to a burst of incoming electrons. Collisions caused the orbital electrons of atoms and molecules to jump into excited energy states and emit visible light when returning to their normal state. The featured image was captured in DjúpivogurIceland during the last month of 2023. Our Sun is currently in its most energetic phase of its 11-year cycle, with its high number of active regions and sunspots likely to last into next year. Of course, the Sun has been near solar maximum during this entire year, with its outbursts sometimes resulting in spectacular Earthly auroras.

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ASTRONOMY - Christmas Tree Aurora

 2024 December 23 Christmas Tree Aurora Image Credit & Copyright:  Jingyi Zhang Explanation:  It was December and the sky lit up like a ...