14 DAY TRIAL // The US government shutdown is over, and the ridiculous episode is behind us mostly. Government websites are coming back online, but it will take a short while for everything to return to normal.
NASA didn't wait any precious seconds though and started posting to social sites right away. Shortly after announcing that it was active again, the agency posted a photo shot by astronaut Mike Hopkins a few days ago from aboard the International Space Station.
Auroras are spectacular no matter where you see them, but they're quite better from above. The photo shows the northern lights covering a huge chunk of the Earth at night.
"The northern lights are caused by collisions between fast-moving particles (electrons) from space and the oxygen and nitrogen gas in our atmosphere. These electrons originate in the magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by Earth’s magnetic field," NASA explained the phenomenon.
"As they rain into the atmosphere, the electrons impart energy to oxygen and nitrogen molecules, making them excited. When the molecules return to their normal state, they release photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light," it added.
The sun, which is responsible for the auroras, is supposed to be at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. However, it has been strangely calm for the past few months and, while it may still hold surprises, it does seem like we're going to see too much activity this time around.