                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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

                             Northern Fox Fires
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Lehtonen

   Explanation: 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 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 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: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

