小小行星的极光

2023年11月25日

Little Planet Aurora
Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima

Explanation: Immersed in an eerie greenish light, this rugged little planet appears to be home to stunning water falls and an impossibly tall mountain. It’s planet Earth of course. On the night of November 9 the nadir-centered 360 degree mosaic was captured by digital camera from the Kirkjufell mountain area of western Iceland. Curtains of shimmering Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights provide the pale greenish illumination. The intense auroral display was caused by solar activity that rocked Earth’s magnetosphere in early November and produced strong geomagnetic storms. Kirkjufell mountain itself stands at the top of the stereographic projection’s circular horizon. Northern hemisphere skygazers will recognize the familiar stars of the Big Dipper just above Kirkjufell’s peak. At lower right the compact Pleiades star cluster and truly giant planet Jupiter also shine in this little planet’s night sky.

Tomorrow’s picture: The Surface of 67P

小小行星的极光
影像提供与版权: Victor Lima

说明: 沉浸在阴森绿光中的这颗崎岖小小行星，是美丽瀑布和高耸山峰的家园。不过，它只是地球一隅的投影。11月9日那晚，位在冰岛西部柯克朱费尔（Kirkjufell）山区的数码相机，拍下了这幅以天底为中心的并接环景影像。在这张带着圆形地平线的立体投影图里，摇曳的北极光帘把大地渲染成淡绿的世界，而其中心即为柯克朱费尔山。在11月初，因太阳活动而受到激荡的地球磁层，产生了强烈的磁暴并诱发了明亮的极光。北半球的观星者，不难认出在柯克朱费尔山顶的极光后方之北斗七星。而在右下角，则可见到在这颗小小行星夜空中绽放光芒的紧实昴宿星团，以及木星这颗如假包换的巨行星。

明日的图片: The Surface of 67P