Volcano and Aurora in Iceland

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 2006-01-29 · NASA (public domain)

Advertisement
Volcano and Aurora in Iceland — APOD for 2006-01-29

Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt. In Iceland in 1991, the volcano Hekla erupted at the same time that auroras were visible overhead. Hekla , one of the most famous volcanoes in the world, has erupted at least 20 times over the past millennium, sometimes causing great destruction . The last eruption occurred only six years ago but caused only minor damage. The green auroral band occurred fortuitously about 100 kilometers above the erupting lava . Is Earth the Solar System's only planet with both auroras and volcanos ?

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2006-01-29 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.

Advertisement
Advertisement