APOD 1.6- Goat Aurora

The picture of the "Goat Aurora" over Greenland is one that looks surrealistic, and indeed, incredibly goat-like. This aurora was very vivid, and fast-changing, so that even veteran sky-watchers were genuinely shocked by its appearance. This head of a goat apparently morphed into other forms as well, including an elephant and "fingers on a celestial hand." The Milky Way Galaxy also shone bright during that late august night spectacle, with a variety of constellations and nebulas visible to the naked eye. The farm in the picture is in Tasiusaq, Kujalleq, Greenland.

Seeing this picture reminds me how difficult it actually is to connect stars that form constellations... There are so many stars dotted around them in this rich sky that often I cannot possibly link together the groups of stars.