APOD: October Skylights (2011 Oct 28)

[APOD Robot]

October Skylights

Explanation: As northern hemisphere nights grow longer, October is a good month for spotting auroras, or even other eerie apparitions after dark. And this week the night sky did not disappoint. On October 24th a solar coronal mass ejection impacted planet Earth's magnetosphere triggering far ranging auroral displays. On that night, this dramatic silhouette against deep red and beautiful green curtains of shimmering light was captured near Whitby, Ontario, Canada. But auroras were reported even farther south, in US states like Alabama, Kansas, and Oklahoma at latitudes rarely haunted by the northern lights. Well above 100 kilometers, at the highest altitudes infused by the auroral glow, the red color comes from the excitation of oxygen atoms.

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[Beyond]

I think a lot of people would like to see something like this in about two months.

[owlice]

I'd like to see something like this now!

More auroras are pictured here.

[starstruck]

With the spooky outline of that broken tree's silhouette against the glowing aurora, this makes a really apt picture for the hallowe'en weekend. Of course, if there could have been an owl or something sitting on one of those branches too . . well even better, but hey, I'll take it as it is! Well done!

[NoelC]

All I can say is this: I hope to see an aurora one day.

For those of you who have seen them, are the colors visible to the unaided eye?

-Noel

[jman]

All I can say is this: I hope to see an aurora one day.

For those of you who have seen them, are the colors visible to the unaided eye?

-Noel

Absolutely!

[orin stepanek]

I liked the aurora picture; kudos Malcolm!

[rstevenson]

For those of you who have seen them, are the colors visible to the unaided eye?

Spectacularly so!

Rob

[kaigun]

Even though I live in Alaska now and see them fairly often, the most spectacular aurora I ever saw was in Washington state 30 years ago. That was the only time I have ever seen the brilliant red.

[saturn2]

A solar coronal mass ejection impacts planet Earth magnetosphere and it produces auroras.
This solar energy is of magnitude very important.
Possibly it can to dostort the comunications of the Earth.

[Wolf kotenberg]

Murphy's law strikes again, with perfection. Raining here in the NORTHWEST.

[Bilbobaker]

Bug and tongue tree.

[georgedavid]

I would love to be in a place like this now !!!

[neufer]

Martin Gardner on the [url=http://tinyurl.com/7hon799]Shakespeare authorship issue[/url]

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October Skylights

Explanation: As northern hemisphere nights grow longer, October is a good month for spotting auroras, or even other eerie apparitions after dark. And this week the night sky did not disappoint. On October 24th a solar coronal mass ejection impacted planet Earth's magnetosphere triggering far ranging auroral displays. On that night, this dramatic silhouette against deep red and beautiful green curtains of shimmering light was captured near Whitby, Ontario, Canada. But auroras were reported even farther south, in US states like Alabama, Kansas, and Oklahoma at latitudes rarely haunted by the northern lights. Well above 100 kilometers, at the highest altitudes infused by the auroral glow, the red color comes from the excitation of oxygen atoms.