Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 17, 2003

A Proton Aurora

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 17, 2003 is “A Proton Aurora,” an image. It is credited to Credit: IMAGE Satellite , NASA. The original explanation runs about 208 words.

From the explanation

“What are auroras made out of? Triggered by solar activity, normal auroras are caused by collisions between fast-moving electrons and the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere.”

— APOD editors, December 17, 2003

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 17, 2003
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: IMAGE Satellite , NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 208 words

All of December 2003 → · 2003 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Auroras

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 17 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 17, 2003 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2003-december-17-a-proton-aurora

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.