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 February 28

                               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 capture 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.

                  Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator
                    Tomorrow's picture: interstellar fowl
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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