                        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.

                               2024 October 16
    A night sky is shown that appears mostly red due to pervasive aurora.
    In the foreground is covered by watery grasslands. Clouds are visible
   above the horizon. Thin green aurora are visible toward the top of the
   frame. In the background one can find the Moon, the LMC, SMC, Venus, a
        meteor, and the band of our Milky Way galaxy. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                      Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Tristian McDonald

   Explanation: Sometimes the night sky is full of surprises. Take the sky
   over Lindis Pass, South Island, New Zealand one-night last week.
   Instead of a typically calm night sky filled with constant stars, a
   busy and dynamic night sky appeared. Suddenly visible were pervasive
   red aurora, green picket-fence aurora, a red SAR arc, a STEVE, a
   meteor, and the Moon. These outshone the center of our Milky Way Galaxy
   and both of its two satellite galaxies: the LMC and SMC. All of these
   were captured together on 28 exposures in five minutes, from which this
   panorama was composed. Auroras lit up many skies last week, as a
   Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun unleashed a burst of particles
   toward our Earth that created colorful skies over latitudes usually too
   far from the Earth's poles to see them. More generally, night skies
   this month have other surprises, showing not only auroras -- but
   comets.

                Jigsaw Challenge: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

