Aurora over Alaska

Aurora over Alaska

Astrophotographer Marybeth Kiczenski: "Equinox Aurora in Alaska! What a gorgeous night! After enduring weeks of -30 degree temps, this storm hit at a time when it 'warmed up' to about -17. And it was wonderful! The colors from this event were just absolutely stunning."

Also known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), auroras are colorful, dynamic, and often visually delicate displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather. When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colorful glow that we call auroras.

Learn more about auroras: 
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/

Alaska is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is considered to be the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the United States. It borders the Canadian territory of the Yukon and the province of British Columbia to the east. It shares a western maritime border in the Bering Strait with Russia. The Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the Arctic Ocean lie to the north, and the Pacific Ocean lies to the south.

Image Credit: Marybeth Kiczenski

Website: https://shelbydiamondstar.com
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Image Date: March 22, 2026

#NASA #Astronomy #Space #Science #Stars #Sun #Planets #Earth #SpaceWeather #Aurora #AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights #Magnetosphere #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Astrophotography #MarybethKiczenski #Astrophotographers #Fairbanks #Alaska #UnitedStates #STEM #Education