nasa:

Is there a pot of gold at the end of a green
aurora? Not sure, but these dancing green lights provide a spectacular view
fitting for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. 

This stunning aurora was captured by NASA
astronaut Jeff Williams during his 2016 mission on the International Space
Station. 

Even though auroras are best seen at night,
they are actually caused by the sun. The sun sends us more than just heat a
light…it sends lots of other energy and small particles toward Earth. The
protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and
particles. Sometimes, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere
resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and
red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr
for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com