NASA’s APOD Showcases 2025 Aurora Over Iceland’s Skógafoss

On August 27, 2026, NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) featured a 5‑second exposure of a colorful aurora over Iceland’s Skógafoss waterfall, captured by a photographer in April 2025. The display of red, green, blue, and pink hues illustrates the collision of charged solar‑wind particles with atmospheric gases—oxygen producing red and green, nitrogen producing blue and pink—at altitudes near the Earth’s magnetic poles. Auroras require high solar activity, clear dark skies, and high‑latitude viewing, making the northern lights more accessible than their southern counterparts due to the Southern Hemisphere’s limited landmass. The APOD site is also transitioning from apod. nasa. gov to science. nasa. gov/apod.