A hole in the sun's corona caused a magnificent display of light in the sky in Iceland earlier this month.
A pair of photographers spotted and took the photo of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, that has taken the shape of a giant flying dragon.
Dragon In The Winter Sky
An aurora is a natural event caused by energetic particles from the sun that travel to the Earth in a steady stream called the solar wind. These particles mingle with the upper atmosphere, exciting the atoms and emitting wonderful dancing lights in the night sky.
On Feb. 18, the northern lights just so happened to take the form of a mythical figure, dazzling everyone who saw it.
Jingyi Zhang, a student from Curtin University and an amateur photographer, told ABC News that she was on a holiday with her mother and a friend in Gullfoss, southwest of Iceland when the now-viral photo was taken. Her mother, who in her amazement, ran toward the dancing lights in the sky is also visible in the photo.
Interestingly, Zhang said that the dragon is not the only mythical creature to appear that night. Her companion also captured the image of a phoenix at the same time.
NASA shared the captured image of the Dragon Aurora over Iceland as the "Astronomy Picture of the Day." According to the space agency, the sight is even more special because it should have been a quiet month for aurora sightings. No sunspots have recently appeared on the sun.
Dazzling Display Of Light
This is not the first time that images were visible as auroras over Iceland to entrance its viewers who often travel from around the world just to view the magnificent natural spectacle. Faces have previously appeared as lights in the sky. In 2017, lights took the form of a griffin that was seen over the city of Reykjavik.
The Iceland Monitor notes that the Icelandic coat of arms has four protectors: a dragon, a griffin, a giant, and a bull. According to Guide To Iceland, the northern lights are visible from early September to the end of April.
