A Floral Aurora Corona

Few auroras show this level of detail. Above , a standard digital camera captured a particularly active and colorful auroral corona that occurred last week above Alberta , Canada . With a shape reminiscent of a flower , the spectacular aurora had an unusually high degree of detail . The vivid green and purple auroral colors are caused by high atmospheric oxygen and hydrogen reacting to a burst of incoming electrons . Many photogenic auroras have been triggered from a solar wind stream that recently passed the Earth. The auroras were unexpected because the initiating Sun has been unusually quiet of late. Note: An APOD editor will review great space images this Saturday night at Ft. Wilkins, Michigan.