When the deep purple falls (APOD 2009 February 1)

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http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090201.html

<<Explanation: Higher than highest communications tower, higher than highest mountain, higher than highest airplane, lies the realm of the aurora. Auroras rarely reach below 60 kilometers, and can range up to 1000 kilometers. Aurora light results from energetic electrons and protons striking molecules in the Earth's atmosphere. Frequently, when viewed from space, a complete aurora will appear as a circle around one of the Earth's magnetic poles. This particularly rare purple auroral corona occurred in 2004 high above Harstad, Norway.>>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

<<Most aurorae are green and red emissions from atomic oxygen. Molecular nitrogen and nitrogen ions produce some low level red and very high blue/violet aurorae. The light blue and green colors are produced by ionic nitrogen and the neutral nitrogen gives off the red and purple color with the rippled edges. Different gases interacting with the upper atmosphere will produce different colors, caused by the different compounds of oxygen and nitrogen. The level of solar wind activity from the Sun can also influence the color of the aurorae.>>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line
Kármán line

<<The Kármán line lies at an altitude of 100 km (62.1 miles) above the Earth's sea level, and is commonly used to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space. The line was named after Theodore von Kármán, a Hungarian-American engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics. He first calculated that around this altitude the Earth's atmosphere becomes too thin for aeronautical purposes (because any vehicle at this altitude would have to travel faster than orbital velocity in order to derive sufficient aerodynamic lift from the atmosphere to support itself). Also, there is an abrupt increase in atmospheric temperature and interaction with solar radiation.

Although the United States does not officially define a "boundary of space", the U.S. definition of an astronaut, which is still held today, is a person who has flown above 80 km (50 miles) above mean sea level. In 2006, three veteran NASA X-15 pilots were retroactively (two posthumously) awarded their astronaut wings, as they had flown between 90 and 108 km in the 1960s, but at the time had not been recognized as astronauts.>>
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. Romeo and Juliet > Act I, scene I
.
MONTAGUE: The shady curtains from AURORA'S bed
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.
<<In Norse Mythology, *AURORAS* were caused by the reflections of light on the shields of the Valkiries. Valkirie means "Chooser of the Fallen." The Valkiries were beautiful maidens and female warriors. They served the deity Odin. Their job was to select which dead warriors from every battle should go to Valhalla. But, they were only allowed to choose half of the dead soldiers. Freya, the goddess of love and beauty chose the other half. In Valhalla, where the warriors selected by the Valkiries were taken, the dead warriors were greeted with ale. Valhalla was the home of the gods. Shields made the walls, and spears, the roof. The gate of Death was the entrance.
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<<Most aurorae are GREEN & RED emissions from atomic OXyGEN.>>
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000410.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000519.html
.
Long ago, the people of Lapland thought northern lights were caused by the swishing of a giant fOX's tail.
They also thought that if there was RED in the sky, a war was approaching.
In Finland, the sky became blood red just before the Winter War of 1939.
.
People from all over the world have different names for the *AURORAS*. The Greeks called it Blood Rain. To Eskimos, they were Sky Dwellers. In Germany, the *AURORA* was Heaven Light.>>

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. A Midsummer Night's Dream > Act III, scene II
.
PUCK: For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
. And yonder shines *AURORA'S* harbinger;
. At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,
. Troop home to churchyards: damned spirits all,
. That in crossways and floods have burial,
. Already to their wormy beds are gone;
. For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
. They willfully themselves exile from light
. And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.
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[bystander]

"Deep Purple"

• Music: Peter DeRose - 1933
  Lyrics: Mitchell Parish - 1938
  
  When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls
  And the stars begin to flicker in the sky
  Thru the mist of a memory you wander back to me
  Breathing my name with a sigh.
  
  In the still of the night once again I hold you tight
  Though you're gone, your love lives on when moonlight beams
  And as long as my heart will beat, lover we'll always meet
  Here in my deep purple dreams.
  
  The British rock band Deep Purple got their name from Pete De Rose's hit after guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's grandmother repeatedly asked if they would be performing the song, her personal favourite.

I'm surprised you missed this one, Art, considering your topic title, but then it's not The Bard.

[apodman]

We danced around with Borealis
We're space truckin' round the the stars
Come on let's go Space Truckin'
...
They dance around the Borealis
They're Space Truckin' everyday
Come on

[aristarchusinexile]

At the height of The Rock Band era, 'Truckin' - signified dealing of dope .. 'Truck' once meaning merchandise, particularly vegetables .. 'garden truck'. Nowadays BPU (Babylonian Pharmaceutical Unlimited) has the biggest trucks .. but they allow roadroom so small independants can take all the heat. The independants can't afford air conditioned vehicles like BPU, so Truckin' for the small guy is sweaty, and seldom results in accumulation of anything apart from a high concentration of lead in their blood." (From Purple People Eater's Hipepedia.)