“‘You are a different kind of Irishman, Goll,’ was all she said.
‘Every Irishman is a different kind of Irishman,’ said Goll.” -Charles Brady
Sure, we're all a little bit Irish today. We celebrate in a plethora of different ways, the most common of which is to prominently display the color most associated with Ireland: green.
Image credit: 451 Marketing Heat, via http://451heat.com/2014/03/14/google-add-ons-apple-selfies-pocket-app-s….
But did you know that not only is the planet Earth on track to celebrate St. Paddy's day in style with a spectacular auroral display, but that even though there's no such thing as a green star, our Sun someday might turn green anyway?
Image credit: European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope / ESO VLT, of planetary nebula IC 1295.
Come learn about how the Universe celebrates St. Paddy's Day today!
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Had to get to work at 4 am so missed this show although it was visible on my location at 55 degrees around 2300. Bummer
The structure of the aurora has always puzzled me.
Why it manifests sharply delfined at the bottom, and vertically fades with altitude.
I presume an atmospheric layer or boundary defines the bottom edge, and fades upward as a function of energy, concentration of elements or combination of both.
Just a guess with my fundamental grasp of the physics involved, but I would really like to understand why.
You do such a good job explaining the physical nature of processes to laymen, I was compelled to ask for your help.
I have read many articles on aurora, and have an understanding of everything except the vertical structure and the fading.
Thank you for your time!
- David