保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
2021年03月24日 Aurorae and Lightning on Jupiter Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SwRI; Text: Natalia Lewandowska Explanation: Why does so much of Jupiter’s lightning occur near its poles? Similar to Earth, Jupiter experiences both aurorae and lightning. Different from Earth, though, Jupiter’s lightning usually occurs near its poles — while muc...
2021年03月14日 A Flag Shaped Aurora over Sweden Image Credit & Copyright: Mia Stålnacke Explanation: It appeared, momentarily, like a 50-km tall banded flag. In mid-March of 2015, an energetic Coronal Mass Ejection directed toward a clear magnetic channel to Earth led to one of the more intense geomagnetic storms of recent years. A visual result was wide s...
2021年02月28日 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 s...
2021年01月14日 Aurora Slathers Up the Sky Image Credit: Jack Fischer, Expedition 52, NASA Explanation: Like salsa verde on your favorite burrito, a green aurora slathers up the sky in this 2017 June 25 snapshot from the International Space Station. About 400 kilometers (250 miles) above Earth, the orbiting station is itself within the upper realm of the auroral...
2021年01月13日 Arches Across an Arctic Sky Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi Explanation: What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to encircle much of the southern sky. Visible below the stellar arch is ...
2021年01月03日 A Phoenix Aurora over Iceland Image Credit & Copyright: Hallgrimur P. Helgason; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt Explanation: All of the other aurora watchers had gone home. By 3:30 am in Iceland, on a quiet September night, much of that night’s auroras had died down. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a new burst of particles streamed down from...
2020年11月9日 In Green Company: Aurora over Norway Image Credit & Copyright: Max Rive Explanation: Raise your arms if you see an aurora. With those instructions, two nights went by with, well, clouds — mostly. On the third night of returning to same peaks, though, the sky not only cleared up but lit up with a spectacular auroral display. Arms went hi...
2020年7月17日 NEOWISE of the North Image Credit & Copyright: Bill Peters Explanation: After local midnight on July 14 comet NEOWISE was still above the horizon for Goldenrod, Alberta, Canada, just north of Calgary, planet Earth. In this snapshot it makes for an awesome night with dancing displays of the northern lights. The long-tailed comet and auroral di...
2020 May 31 Aurora over Sweden Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand Explanation: It was bright and green and stretched across the sky. This striking aurora display was captured in 2016 just outside of Östersund, Sweden. Six photographic fields were merged to create the featured panorama spanning almost 180 degrees. Particularly striking aspects of thi...
2020 January 5 A Starry Night of Iceland Image Credit: Stephane Vetter (Nuits sacrees) Explanation: On some nights, the sky is the best show in town. On this night, the sky was not only the best show in town, but a composite image of the sky won an international competition for landscape astrophotography. The featured winning image was taken in 2011 over Jök...