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Credit & Copyright: JJ Rao
Explanation:
WhatÁs happening over that tree?
Two very different things.
On the left is the
Andromeda galaxy,
an object that is older than
humanity and will
last billions of years into the future.
Andromeda
(M31) is similar in size and shape to our own
Milky Way Galaxy.
On the right is a red
sprite, a type of
lightning
that lasts a fraction of a second and occurs above
violent thunderstorms.
Red sprites were
verified as
real atmospheric phenomena only about 35 years ago.
The tree in the center is a
boab,
which may live for as long as a thousand years.
Boab trees grow naturally in
Australia and
Africa
and are known for being able to store large amounts of water: up to 100,000 liters.
The
featured image was captured last month near
Derby in
Western Australia.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 31 - lightning
Publications with words: M 31 - lightning
See also:
- Andromeda and Friends
- APOD: 2025 September 9 Á Up from the Earth: Gigantic Jet Lightning
- APOD: 2025 August 6 Á Meteor before Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 July 27 Á Lightning over the Volcano of Water
- Hubble s Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
- NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda
- APOD: 2024 September 8 Á M31: The Andromeda Galaxy