Aurora & Lava
Posted by JAC on 4/9/2010, 6:51 am


Sometimes both heaven and Earth erupt.

Such was the case on April 4th when an outburst of auroras met an outburst of lava in southern Iceland:


Kristinn R. Kristinsson took the picture from a glacier overlooking Iceland's active Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

The volcano erupted on March 20th for the first time in 190 years--and it has been spewing lava and attracting sightseers ever since.

Even Top Gear is filming an episode there.

On April 4th a solar wind gust hit Earth and ignited auroras almost directly above the lava flow. Kristinsson was in the right place at the right time to see the display.

April 4th marked the beginning of a major solar wind storm, which is only now subsiding.

The four-day event brought auroras to the lava fields of Iceland, created a kaleidoscopic display of moving color over Antarctica, and lured onlookers in Siberia outdoors for a quick "aurora dance." Really.






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Aurora & Lava - JAC, 4/9/2010, 6:51 am
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