Astronomy Picture of the Day

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Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2023 November 6 The night sky over a valley is shown complete with the central band of the Milky Way Galaxy crossing up from the lower left. On the right the sky just over the hill glows an unusual red: aurora. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Red Aurora over Italy

Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer

Explanation:

What was that red glow on the horizon last night? Aurora. Our unusually active Sun produced a surface explosion a few days ago that sent out a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive charged nuclei. This coronal mass ejection (CME) triggered auroras here on Earth that are being reported unusually far south in Earth’s northern hemisphere. For example, this was the first time that the astrophotographer captured aurora from her home country of Italy. Additionally, many images from these auroras appear quite red in color. In the featured image, the town of Comelico Superiore in the Italian Alps is visible in the foreground, with the central band of our Milky Way galaxy seen rising from the lower left. What draws the eye the most, though, is the bright red aurora on the far right. The featured image is a composite with the foreground and background images taken consecutively with the same camera and from the same location.

Aurora Album:

Selected images sent in to APOD

Tomorrow’s picture: devil on mars

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