Red Aurora over Poland

  Image Credit & Copyright:  Mariusz Durlej[1]  

  Explanation:  Northern lights don't usually reach this far south. Magnetic chaos in the Sun's huge Active Region 3664[2], however, produced a surface explosion that sent a burst[3] of electrons, protons, and more massive, charged nuclei into the Solar System[4]. A few days later, that coronal mass ejection[5] (CME) impacted the Earth and triggered auroras[6] that are being reported unusually far from our planet's north and south poles[7]. The free sky show might not be over[8] -- the sunspot rich AR3664[9] has ejected even more CME[10]s that might also impact the Earth tonight or tomorrow[11]. That active region is now near the Sun's edge[12], though, and will soon be rotating away from the Earth[13]. Pictured, a red[14] and rayed aurora[15] was captured in a single 6-second exposure from Racibórz[16], Poland[17] early last night. The photographer's friend, seeing an aurora for the first time[18], is visible in the distance also taking images of the beautifully colorful[19] nighttime sky. 

   Gallery:  Global Aurora from Solar Active Region 6443[20] 

  Tomorrow's picture: open space[21] 

  Authors & editors:  Robert Nemiroff[22] (MTU[23]) & Jerry Bonnell[24] (UMCP[25])

 NASA Official:  Amber Straughn Specific rights apply[26].

 NASA Web Privacy[27], Accessibility[28], Notices[29]; 

 A service of: ASD[30] at NASA[31] / GSFC[32], 

 NASA Science Activation[33] 

& Michigan Tech. U.[34]

[1]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/durlej dot mariusz at gmail dot com

[2]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240511.html

[3]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031029.html

[4]https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/facts/

[5]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

[6]https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.431368006258449&type=3

[7]https://climatekids.nasa.gov/polar-temperatures/

[8]https://www.universetoday.com/166942/if-youve-never-seen-an-aurora-before-this-might-be-your-chance/

[9]https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/ar3664-ginormous-active-sunspot-area/

[10]https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/what-coronal-mass-ejection-or-cme/

[11]https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/geomagnetic-storming-likely-persist-weekend

[12]https://www.spaceweather.com/images2024/11may24/hmi1898.gif

[13]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161010.html

[14]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220220.html

[15]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080101.html

[16]https://youtu.be/bMf--MCsLLY

[17]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland

[18]https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/01/89/49/89/1000_F_189498933_OeutsN0mMlzJGaJZJvkXIsoSCUCFIO7W.jpg

[19]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231227.html

[20]https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.431368006258449&type=3

[21]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240513.html

[22]http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html

[23]http://www.phy.mtu.edu/

[24]https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html

[25]http://www.astro.umd.edu/

[26]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply

[27]https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html

[28]https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/

[29]https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/

[30]https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/

[31]https://www.nasa.gov/

[32]https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/

[33]https://science.nasa.gov/learners

[34]http://www.mtu.edu/

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240512.html

http://sprite.phys.ncku.edu.tw/astrolab/mirrors/apod/ap240512.html