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.

                               2024 October 12
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                       Northern Lights, West Virginia
             Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Jonathan Eggleston

   Explanation: A gravel country lane gently winds through this
   [5]colorful rural night skyscape. Captured from Monroe County in
   southern West Virginia on the evening of October 10, the starry sky
   above is a familiar sight. Shimmering curtains of aurora borealis or
   northern lights definitely do not make regular appearances here,
   though. Surprisingly vivid auroral displays were present on that night
   at very low latitudes [6]around the globe, far from their usual
   northern and southern [7]high latitude realms. The extensive auroral
   activity was evidence of a severe [8]geomagnetic storm triggered by the
   impact of a [9]coronal mass ejection (CME)
   , an immense magnetized cloud of energetic plasma. The CME was launched
   toward Earth from the active Sun following a powerful [10]X-class solar
   flare.

        Growing Gallery: [11]Global aurora during October 10/11, 2024
                    Tomorrow's picture: aurora in motion
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2410/241010_eggleston.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/WVAstronomy/
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240516.html
   6. https://spaceweathergallery2.com/index.php?&starting_point=0
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231117.html
   8. https://spaceweather.com/
   9. https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/CMEs.shtml
  10. https://blogs.nasa.gov/solarcycle25/2024/10/09/sun-releases-strong-solar-flare-17/
  11. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=APOD.Sky&set=a.530876019640980
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241011.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241012
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241013.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/