Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2021 December 13
    [2]The picture shows a volcano in Iceland in the foreground and both
    auroras and meteors from the 2012 Geminids in the background. Please
             see the explanation for more detailed information.

                      Meteors and Auroras over Iceland
      Image Credit & Copyright: [3]James Boardman-Woodend; Annotation:
                               [4]Judy Schmidt

   Explanation: What's going on behind that mountain? Quite a bit. First
   of all, the mountain itself, named [5]Kirkjufell, is quite old and
   located in western Iceland near the town of [6]Grundarfjörður. In front
   of the [7]steeply-sloped structure lies a [8]fjord that had just begun
   to freeze when the above image was taken -- in mid-December of 2012.
   Although quite faint to the [9]unaided eye, the beautiful [10]colors of
   [11]background aurorae became quite apparent on the 25-second exposure.
   What makes this image of particular note, though, is that it also
   captures streaks from the [12]Geminids meteor shower -- meteors that
   might not have been evident were the aurora much brighter. Far in the
   distance, on the left, is the [13]band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while
   [14]stars from our local part of the [15]Milky Way appear spread across
   the background. Tonight the [16]Geminids [17]meteor [18]shower peaks
   again and may well provide [19]sky enthusiasts with their own
   [20]memorable visual experiences.

                       Tomorrow's picture: hidden jet
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [36]Specific rights apply.
              [37]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC
                           & [41]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2112/auroraemeteors_boardman_4591.jpg
   3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/126180225@N06/
   4. http://www.geckzilla.com/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkjufell
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundarfj%C3%B6r%C3%B0ur
   7. https://youtu.be/7U3mlzp_f-M
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord
   9. https://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cow_eye/
  10. https://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/difcolors.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121017.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110710.html
  14. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  15. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galaxy.html
  16. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-geminid-meteor-shower/
  17. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/geminids/in-depth/
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211116.html
  19. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3216897281747802&type=3
  20. https://www.meme-arsenal.com/memes/b438ea9137ca90c92d377755adc37fee.jpg
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211212.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=211213
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211214.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  41. http://www.mtu.edu/