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                           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 December 23   
       A star filled night sky is shown with aurora visible in blue, purple   
      and green. The aurora could be perceived to be a spruce tree, or even a   
           Christmas tree. Please see the explanation for more detailed   
                                   information.   
      
                               Christmas Tree Aurora   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang   
      
      Explanation: It was December and the sky lit up like a Christmas tree.   
      Shimmering, the vivid green, blue, and purple auroral colors that   
      formed the tree-like apparition were caused by high atmospheric oxygen   
      and nitrogen reacting to a burst of incoming electrons. Collisions   
      caused the orbital electrons of atoms and molecules to jump into   
      excited energy states and emit visible light when returning to their   
      normal state. The featured image was captured in Dj+|pivogur, Iceland   
      during the last month of 2023. Our Sun is currently in its most   
      energetic phase of its 11-year cycle, with its high number of active   
      regions and sunspots likely to last into next year. Of course, the Sun   
      has been near solar maximum during this entire year, with its outbursts   
      sometimes resulting in spectacular Earthly auroras.   
      
                Image Processors: Take NASA's Astrophoto Challenge   
                           Tomorrow's picture: star tree   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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