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.
2022 February 20
Explanation:
Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt.
Colorful auroras erupted unexpectedly a few years ago, with
green aurora appearing near the horizon and brilliant bands of
red aurora blooming high overhead.
A bright Moon lit the foreground of this picturesque scene,
while familiar stars could be seen far in the distance.
With planning, the careful astrophotographer shot this image mosaic in the field of
White Dome Geyser in
Yellowstone National Park
in the western USA.
Sure enough, just after midnight, White Dome
erupted —
spraying a stream of water and vapor many meters into the air.
Geyser water is heated to steam by
scalding magma several
kilometers below, and rises through rock
cracks to the surface.
About half of all known geysers occur in
Yellowstone National Park.
Although the
geomagnetic storm that caused the auroras
subsided within a day,
eruptions of White Dome Geyser continue about every 30 minutes.
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