APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5344
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by APOD Robot » Mon Dec 13, 2021 5:06 am

Image Meteors and Auroras over Iceland

Explanation: What's going on behind that mountain? Quite a bit. First of all, the mountain itself, named Kirkjufell, is quite old and located in western Iceland near the town of Grundarfjörður. In front of the steeply-sloped structure lies a fjord that had just begun to freeze when the above image was taken -- in mid-December of 2012. Although quite faint to the unaided eye, the beautiful colors of background aurorae became quite apparent on the 25-second exposure. What makes this image of particular note, though, is that it also captures streaks from the Geminids meteor shower -- meteors that might not have been evident were the aurora much brighter. Far in the distance, on the left, is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while stars from our local part of the Milky Way appear spread across the background. Tonight the Geminids meteor shower peaks again and may well provide sky enthusiasts with their own memorable visual experiences.

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>

User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13370
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by Ann » Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:37 am


Albireo = Beta Cygni, a binary star with contrasting colors.(Image: Palomar Observatory/Wikisky)

Sulafat = Gamma Lyra.

Sheliak = Beta Lyra.

Vega = Alpha Lyra. This annotated picture shows you Vega and Albireo. Sulafat is the star in constellation Lyra that is closest to Albireo, and Sheliak is to the right of Sulafat. (Image: Bernhard Hubl / CCDGuide.com)

Etamin = Gamma Draco.

Rastaban = Beta Draco. You can see the positions of Rastaban and Etamin in constellation Draco in this image, where Etamin is called Eltanin. You can see them oriented in the same way to Vega and Albireo as they are in the APOD here. (Image: Wikisky)

Nekkar = Beta Bootes.

Seginus = Gamma Bootes.

Izar = Epsilon Bootes. You can see Nekkar, Seginus and Izar here. (Image: Wikipedia/Sky & Telescope.)


Ann
Color Commentator

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by orin stepanek » Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:08 pm

auroraemeteors_boardman_4591.jpg
Beautiful photo of Mountain Kirkjufell, by Grundarfjörður, Iceland
with Aurora and Geminids!
710px-Aurora_Borealis_activity_on_top_of_the_Kirkjufell_mountain_in_September_2018.jpg
Another view of Mt. Kirkjufell!
b438ea9137ca90c92d377755adc37fee.jpg
Kitty says; What's that?
Last edited by orin stepanek on Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

heehaw

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by heehaw » Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:20 pm

Thanks, Ann!

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by johnnydeep » Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:21 pm

Very visually appealing mountain. Looks like it came straight out of The Lord of The Rings (no, I haven't read or seen GoT). But, the text says that "Kirkjufell, is quite old". Nowhere could I find out just HOW old. Is it unusually so?
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by johnnydeep » Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:26 pm

Ann wrote: Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:37 am

Albireo = Beta Cygni, a binary star with contrasting colors.(Image: Palomar Observatory/Wikisky)

Sulafat = Gamma Lyra.

Sheliak = Beta Lyra.

Vega = Alpha Lyra. This annotated picture shows you Vega and Albireo. Sulafat is the star in constellation Lyra that is closest to Albireo, and Sheliak is to the right of Sulafat. (Image: Bernhard Hubl / CCDGuide.com)

Etamin = Gamma Draco.

Rastaban = Beta Draco. You can see the positions of Rastaban and Etamin in constellation Draco in this image, where Etamin is called Eltanin. You can see them oriented in the same way to Vega and Albireo as they are in the APOD here. (Image: Wikisky)

Nekkar = Beta Bootes.

Seginus = Gamma Bootes.

Izar = Epsilon Bootes. You can see Nekkar, Seginus and Izar here. (Image: Wikipedia/Sky & Telescope.)

Ann
That's quite a motley collection of weird sounding star names: Albireo, Sulafat, Sheliak, Etamin, Rastaban, Nekkar, Seginus, Iza. 'T'would be cool names for the children of an astronomer! Not sure which are better for girls or boys though, but Rastaban is clearly a boy :) Hmm, now I need a list of ALL historical star names!
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by neufer » Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:17 pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkjufell wrote:
<<Kirkjufell (Icelandic: "Church Mountain") is a 463 m high mountain on the north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula, near the town of Grundarfjörður. It is claimed to be the most photographed mountain in the country. Kirkjufell was one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones season 6 and 7, featuring as the "arrowhead mountain" that the Hound and the company north of the Wall see when capturing a white walker. Kirkjufell contains volcanic rock, but is not a volcano. It is a former nunatak, a mountain that protruded above the glaciers surrounding it during the Ice Age, and before that was part of what was once the area's strata. This strata is composed of alternating layers of Pleistocene lava and sandstone, with tuff at its summit.>>
  • Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,
    He rode to the tiptop to dump it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sn%C3%A6fellsnes wrote: B
<<The Snæfellsnes is a peninsula situated to the west of Borgarfjörður, in western Iceland. Many national sights can be found in the area, including the Snæfellsjökull volcano, regarded as one of the symbols of Iceland. With its height of 1446 m, it is the highest mountain on the peninsula and has a glacier at its peak (jökull means "glacier" in Icelandic). The volcano can be seen on clear days from Reykjavík, a distance of about 120 km. The mountain is also known as the setting of the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by the French author Jules Verne.

Professor Lidenbrock locks everyone in the house and forces himself and Axel to go without food until he cracks the code. Axel discovers the answer when fanning himself with the deciphered text: Lidenbrock's deciphering was correct but simply needed to be read backward in order to reveal a paragraph written in rough Latin. Axel tries to hide his discovery from Lidenbrock, afraid of the professor's maniacal reactions, but after two days without food, he knuckles under and reveals the secret to his uncle. Lidenbrock translates the paragraph, a 16th century note written by Saknussemm, who claims to have discovered a passage to the center of the earth via the crater of Snæfellsjökull in Iceland. In what Axel calls bastardized Latin, the deciphered message reads:
  • Go down into the crater of Snaefells Jökull, which Scartaris's shadow caresses just before the calends of July, O daring traveler, and you'll make it to the center of the earth. I've done so. Arne Saknussemm>>
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13370
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by Ann » Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:54 am

johnnydeep wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:26 pm
That's quite a motley collection of weird sounding star names: Albireo, Sulafat, Sheliak, Etamin, Rastaban, Nekkar, Seginus, Iza. 'T'would be cool names for the children of an astronomer! Not sure which are better for girls or boys though, but Rastaban is clearly a boy :) Hmm, now I need a list of ALL historical star names!

I think most stars are boys, judging by their names. :wink: But Bellatrix in Orion must surely be a girl, right? Yes, apparently Bellatrix means "female warrior". Maybe Mintaka is a girl too? No, "Mintaka" just means "the belt". It doesn't sound very feminine.

But the Pleiades are all girls, except their father Atlas.

Ann
Color Commentator

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by johnnydeep » Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:20 pm

Ann wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 6:54 am
johnnydeep wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:26 pm
That's quite a motley collection of weird sounding star names: Albireo, Sulafat, Sheliak, Etamin, Rastaban, Nekkar, Seginus, Iza. 'T'would be cool names for the children of an astronomer! Not sure which are better for girls or boys though, but Rastaban is clearly a boy :) Hmm, now I need a list of ALL historical star names!

I think most stars are boys, judging by their names. :wink: But Bellatrix in Orion must surely be a girl, right? Yes, apparently Bellatrix means "female warrior". Maybe Mintaka is a girl too? No, "Mintaka" just means "the belt". It doesn't sound very feminine.

But the Pleiades are all girls, except their father Atlas.

Ann
Yup, Bellatrix is a great name for a girl - nickname Bella, of course (or maybe Trix)! I'd also consider Rigel a suitable name for a girl since it kinda sounds like Rachel.
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18105
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by Chris Peterson » Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:28 pm

johnnydeep wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:20 pm Yup, Bellatrix is a great name for a girl - nickname Bella, of course (or maybe Trix)! I'd also consider Rigel a suitable name for a girl since it kinda sounds like Rachel.
We've used both names for our Great Danes. Bellatrix (Bella) for a girl, Rigel for a boy. (All of our Danes have astronomical names.)
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by johnnydeep » Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:33 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:28 pm
johnnydeep wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:20 pm Yup, Bellatrix is a great name for a girl - nickname Bella, of course (or maybe Trix)! I'd also consider Rigel a suitable name for a girl since it kinda sounds like Rachel.
We've used both names for our Great Danes. Bellatrix (Bella) for a girl, Rigel for a boy. (All of our Danes have astronomical names.)
Nice. You're living the dream. Other good female - canine or human - name choices: Vega, Capella, Deneb.
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18105
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by Chris Peterson » Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:41 pm

johnnydeep wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:33 pm
Chris Peterson wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:28 pm
johnnydeep wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:20 pm Yup, Bellatrix is a great name for a girl - nickname Bella, of course (or maybe Trix)! I'd also consider Rigel a suitable name for a girl since it kinda sounds like Rachel.
We've used both names for our Great Danes. Bellatrix (Bella) for a girl, Rigel for a boy. (All of our Danes have astronomical names.)
Nice. You're living the dream. Other good female - canine or human - name choices: Vega, Capella, Deneb.
Our current pair are Camelopardalis (Cami, girl) and Aries (or Ares... take your choice, boy). We follow the two-syllable rule for the name the dogs actually hear.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by neufer » Wed Dec 15, 2021 4:59 pm

Chris Peterson wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:41 pm
johnnydeep wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:33 pm
Chris Peterson wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:28 pm
We've used both names for our Great Danes. Bellatrix (Bella) for a girl, Rigel for a boy. (All of our Danes have astronomical names.)
Nice. You're living the dream. Other good female - canine or human - name choices: Vega, Capella, Deneb.
Our current pair are Camelopardalis (Cami, girl) and Aries (or Ares... take your choice, boy).

We follow the two-syllable rule for the name the dogs actually hear.
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
Ann
4725 Å
Posts: 13370
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by Ann » Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:46 am

I'm very late to the party, but...

Vega has also served as a woman's name, at least in Sweden.


Ann
Color Commentator

User avatar
johnnydeep
Commodore
Posts: 2777
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Re: APOD: Meteors and Auroras over Iceland (2021 Dec 13)

Post by johnnydeep » Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:48 pm

Ann wrote: Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:46 am I'm very late to the party, but...

Vega has also served as a woman's name, at least in Sweden.


Ann
Nice. Sadly, "Tora" doesn't seem to be the name of a star. I also found there's actually a list of "proper star names" currently approved by the IAU. Surprisingly - to me - there are only 336 as of August 2018:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proper_names_of_stars wrote: These names of stars that have either been approved by the International Astronomical Union or which have been in somewhat recent use. IAU approval comes mostly from its Working Group on Star Names, which has been publishing a "List of IAU-approved Star Names" since 2016. As of August 2018, the list included a total of 336 proper names of stars.[1]
...
Of the roughly 10,000 stars visible to the naked eye, only a few hundred have been given proper names in the history of astronomy.[a] Traditional astronomy tends to group stars into constellations or asterisms and give proper names to those, not to individual stars. There are 88 constellations, which are only seen to the naked eye. They are listed in this order: A-Z.

Many star names are, in origin, descriptive of the part of the constellation they are found in; thus Phecda, a corruption of Arabic فخذ الدب (fakhdh ad-dubb, 'thigh of the bear'). Only a handful of the brightest stars have individual proper names not depending on their asterism; so Sirius ('the scorcher'), Antares ('rival of Ares', i.e., red-hued like Mars), Canopus (of uncertain origin), Alphard ('the solitary one'), Regulus ('kinglet'); and arguably Aldebaran ('the follower' [of the Pleiades]) and Procyon ('preceding the dog' [Sirius]). The same holds for Chinese star names, where most stars are enumerated within their asterisms, with a handful of exceptions such as 織女 ('weaving girl') (Vega).

In addition to the limited number of traditional star names, there were some coined in modern times, e.g. "Avior" for Epsilon Carinae (1930), and a number of stars named after people (mostly in the 20th century).
--
"To B̬̻̋̚o̞̮̚̚l̘̲̀᷾d̫͓᷅ͩḷ̯᷁ͮȳ͙᷊͠ Go......Beyond The F͇̤i̙̖e̤̟l̡͓d͈̹s̙͚ We Know."{ʲₒʰₙNYᵈₑᵉₚ}

Post Reply