ap100806.html">recently, however, our Sun has become increasingly active and
exhibiting a greater abundance of
sunspots,
flares, and
coronal mass ejections. Solar activity
like this typically expels charged particles into the Solar System, some of which may trigger
Earthly auroras. As this year unfolded, the
above timelapse displays of picturesque auroras were
captured above
Tromsø,
Norway.
Curtains of auroral light, usually green,
flow,
shimmer and
dance as energetic particles fall toward the Earth and
ionize air molecules high up in the Earth's atmosphere. With
solar maximum still in the future, there may be opportunities to see spectacular
aurora personally over the next three years.
VIEW VIDEO
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap101124.html
Posted Dec. 30, 2010
