Stpattysday - Blog Posts

nasa

8 years ago

Is there a pot of gold at the end of a green aurora? Not sure, but these dancing green lights provide a spectacular view fitting for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

This stunning aurora was captured by NASA astronaut Jeff Williams during his 2016 mission on the International Space Station.

Even though auroras are best seen at night, they are actually caused by the sun. The sun sends us more than just heat a light…it sends lots of other energy and small particles toward Earth. The protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles. Sometimes, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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