Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Wed Dec 27 2023 01:12:36

                        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 December 27
    A waterfall is shown in the image center below a starry sky. Arching
    above the waterfall is a colorful aurora. Arching above the aurora is
   the central band of the Milky Way. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                   Rainbow Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
                Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini

   Explanation: Yes, but can your aurora do this? First, yes, auroras can
   look like rainbows even though they are completely different phenomena.
   Auroras are caused by Sun-created particles being channeled into
   Earth's atmosphere by Earth's magnetic field, and create colors by
   exciting atoms at different heights. Conversely, rainbows are created
   by sunlight backscattering off falling raindrops, and different colors
   are refracted by slightly different angles. Unfortunately, auroras
   canCÇÖt create waterfalls, but if you plan well and are lucky enough, you
   can photograph them together. The featured picture is composed of
   several images taken on the same night last month near the Sk+|gafoss
   waterfall in Iceland. The planning centered on capturing the central
   band of our Milky Way galaxy over the picturesque cascade. By luck, a
   spectacular aurora soon appeared just below the curving arch of the
   Milky Way. Far in the background, the Pleiades star cluster and the
   Andromeda galaxy can be found.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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