Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 December 12
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Northern Fox Fires
               Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Dennis Lehtonen

   Explanation: [5]In a Finnish myth, when an arctic fox runs so fast that
   its bushy tail brushes the mountains, flaming sparks are cast into the
   heavens creating the northern lights. In fact the Finnish word
   "revontulet", a name for [6]the aurora borealis or northern lights, can
   be translated as fire fox. So that evocative myth took on a special
   significance for the photographer of this northern night skyscape from
   Finnish Lapland near Kilpisjarvi Lake. The snowy scene is illuminated
   by moonlight. Saana, an iconic fell or mountain of Lapland, rises at
   the right in the background. But as the [7]beautiful nothern lights
   danced overhead, the wild fire fox in the foreground enthusiastically
   ran around the photographer and his equipment, making it difficult to
   capture in this lucky single shot.

                     Tomorrow's picture: ocean of storms
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    Authors & editors: [19]Robert Nemiroff ([20]MTU) & [21]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([22]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [23]Specific rights apply.
            [24]NASA Web Privacy, [25]Accessibility, [26]Notices;
                A service of: [27]ASD at [28]NASA / [29]GSFC,
                         [30]NASA Science Activation
                           & [31]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/Firefox-Lehtonen-Dennis.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://denniina.com/
   5. https://aurora-nights.co.uk/aurora-academy/what-are-the-northern-lights/sami-view-of-the-northern-lights/
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/auroras/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231117.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251211.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  12. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  14. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  17. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251212
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251213.html
  19. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  20. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  21. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  22. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  24. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  25. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  27. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  30. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  31. http://www.mtu.edu/