Night on a Spooky Planet Illuminates Iceland’s Geothermal Landscape
A ghostly Icelandic night captured under greenish auroras shows Earth’s own “spooky planet” on Halloween.
What spooky planet is this? Planet Earth, of course, on a dark and stormy night.
The haunting view was captured at Hverir, a geothermally active area in northeastern Iceland’s volcanic terrain.
Solar activity has sparked geomagnetic storms that unleash energetic particles trapped in Earth’s magnetic field.
These particles plunge into the upper atmosphere at high latitudes, igniting spectacular auroral displays across the star‑filled sky.
Ghostly towers of steam and gas rise from local fumaroles, dancing against the eerie, greenish northern lights.
For now, auroral activity on Earth remains in a high state as the Sun is only in the early phases of decline from the peak of its solar activity cycle.
And soon, other ghostly apparitions may dance in your neighborhood. Happy Halloween!
Tomorrow’s picture will feature “many moons.”
Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées)
Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.
