APOD 2.6-Lunar Eclipse over an Indian Peace Pagonda

On December 10th, a total solar eclipse occured. Many pictures were taken before and after the solar eclipse, but this one was taken over a Shanti Stupa Peace Pagoda near the center of New Delhi, India. The moon was tinted red, which was created by the sunlight first passing through the Earth's atmosphere which scatters blue light but refracts red light. The different amounts of clouds and volcanic dust makes each lunar eclipse appear differently. The next total lunar eclipse will occur in 2014.

APOD 2.5-Aurora over Norway

This was one of the most memorable auroras of the season. There were mixtures of red and green light. There were many rays, distinct curtains, and even an auroral corona. If you look in the background you can see some stars and a beautiful landscape underneath this vast snowy terrain. With the sun getting more active every year, the auroras will be even brighter and spectactular.

APOD 2.4-The View From Chajnantor

In the Chilean Andes, the view from Chajnantor Plateau is breathtaking in multiple ways. The atmosphere is extremely dry and 50% sea level pressure. This place is ideal for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array(ALMA), which is designed to explore the universe at wavelengths over 1,000 times longer than visible light. The ALMA is an international partnership between Europe, North America and East Asia and is the largest astronomical project in existence. At the left of this picture, a meteor's streak and the milky way galaxies, the large and small magellanic clouds GRACE the night.