                        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 January 11
    A green aurora is pictured above and beyond a dark rocky arch. Faint
   stars dot the background. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                         Spiral Aurora over Iceland
                Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini

   Explanation: The scene may look like a fantasy, but it's really
   Iceland. The rock arch is named Gatklettur and located on the island's
   northwest coast. Some of the larger rocks in the foreground span a
   meter across. The fog over the rocks is really moving waves averaged
   over long exposures. The featured image is a composite of several
   foreground and background shots taken with the same camera and from the
   same location on the same night last November. The location was picked
   for its picturesque foreground, but the timing was planned for its
   colorful background: aurora. The spiral aurora, far behind the arch,
   was one of the brightest seen in the astrophotographer's life. The
   coiled pattern was fleeting, though, as auroral patterns waved and
   danced for hours during the cold night. Far in the background were the
   unchanging stars, with Earth's rotation causing them to appear to
   slowly circle the sky's northernmost point near Polaris.

     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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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

