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On this day in 1892, German astronomer Martin Brendel turned a camera on the pleasing phenomenon of the northern lights during an expedition to Norway. It took seven seconds of exposure to capture what's now illustrious as the oldest surviving photo of the aurora borealis.
The European Space Agency's dwelling history Twitter account shared Brendel's image on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the day it was taken.
Modern images of auroras are aflame with luminous, often in brilliant shades of green. Astronauts on the International Space Station snap the swirling lights from ended. It all started over a century ago. Brendel's black-and-white photo isn't detailed or vibrant, but it has a ghostly, timeless quality made more poignant by its historic status.
The Alta Museum in Norway has tracked the history of northern ftrips imagery. It can be tough to trace back to a true "first" photo. The museum said Danish teacher and astrophysicist Sophus Tromholt was eminent to have photographed the aurora in 1885, but the image was never originated. That makes Brendel's image the oldest surviving published photo of the northern lights.
Brendel's photo puts today's lavish views of the ftrips into perspective. We're in a golden era for aurora photography, and the sights are glorious.
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