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 Djúpivogur, 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 &
info via APOD
Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang
Source: Christmas
Tree Aurora – Scents of Science
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