MSGID: 1:153/757.0 1aa66d4c   
   TZUTC: -0800   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           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.   
      
                                 2025 December 23   
      Trees on a hilltop are seen in a starry sky but with clouds on the far   
      horizon. A strange red circular band of light is seen in the sky. Near   
      this band's center, some bright jellyfish like structures are visible.   
             Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                Red Sprites and Circular Elves Lightning over Italy   
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Valter Binotto   
      
      Explanation: What's happening in the sky? Lightning. The most commonly   
      seen type of lightning involves flashes of bright white light between   
      clouds. Over the past 50 years, though, other types of   
      upper-atmospheric lightning have been confirmed, including tentacled   
      red sprites and ringed ELVES. Although both last only a small fraction   
      of a second, sprites are brighter and easier to photograph than their   
      more common electrical-discharge cousins. ELVES are rapidly expanding   
      rings that are thought to be created when an electromagnetic pulse   
      shoots upward from charged clouds and impacts the ionosphere, causing   
      nitrogen molecules to glow. Capturing either form of lightning takes   
      patience and experience -- capturing them both together, since they   
      usually occur separately, is rare. The featured image is a frame from a   
      video recorded from Possagno, Italy late last month above a distant   
      thunderstorm over the Adriatic Sea.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: mystery dots   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
                     NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;   
                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7   
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/19 100 16/0 19/10 37 105/81 106/201 123/130 128/187 129/14   
   SEEN-BY: 129/305 134/100 142/104 153/135 143 148 151 757 6809 7083   
   SEEN-BY: 153/7715 154/110 201/0 203/0 218/700 840 221/1 6 360 226/30   
   SEEN-BY: 227/114 229/110 112 134 206 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700   
   SEEN-BY: 229/705 240/5832 266/512 280/5003 5006 291/111 301/1 320/119   
   SEEN-BY: 320/219 319 2119 322/757 762 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45   
   SEEN-BY: 423/81 460/58 633/280 712/848 902/26 5020/400 5075/35   
   PATH: 153/757 221/6 1 320/219 229/426