Kjell Henriksen Observatory Dec 28, 2021

Kjell Henriksen Observatory

While these domes look like they should be in a movie set depicting a galaxy far, far away, they"re actually part of a scientific research station here on planet Earth. Kjell Henriksen Observatory is named for a Norwegian scientist whose research focused on the polar lights. The aurora borealis is frequently seen here, deep within the Arctic Circle in Norway"s remote Svalbard territory. And the observatory is specially designed to observe the aurora. Since it opened in 2008, the observatory has become a destination for atmospheric scientists, who can rent one of these 30 glass-topped rooms built to house high-end optical instruments.

© Vincent Fournier/Gallery Stock

palette

Today in History

Dec 28, 2018A species no longer at risk
Dec 28, 2019Did they forget to fly south?
Dec 28, 2020Wildcat in a winter wonderland
Dec 28, 2022Maloja, Switzerland
Dec 28, 202350 years of the Endangered Species Act
Dec 28, 2024Endangered Species Act
Dec 28, 2025Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 4, 2021Cheetah mother and cub
Oct 16, 2018Hey, who’s in charge here?
Nov 17, 2019Remembering the Velvet Revolution
Sep 4, 2023Labor Day
Nov 3, 2021World Jellyfish Day
Aug 19, 2022National Aviation Day
Dec 26, 2021Happy Boxing Day!
Sep 16, 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
Jul 1, 2018Let the games begin
Jan 29, 2025Chinese New Year
Sep 21, 2019 The Wall for Peace
Nov 2, 2021Day of the Dead
Sep 11, 2020In honor of those we ve lost
Apr 5, 2018Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
Mar 5, 2022Mont-Saint-Michel
May 29, 2021A path into history
May 3, 2019A night of art and culture
Apr 19, 2019Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park shines
Apr 18, 2020National Park Week begins
Apr 21, 2024National Park Week continues
May 29, 2019A ‘circus of chaos’ for Stravinsky
May 1, 2025Lei Day in Hawaii
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Oct 2, 2019Wild scene on the Merced River
Sep 20, 2019Fall comes to Pando
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah
Sep 7, 2020Take a break! It s Labor Day!
Oct 8, 2019Let s celebrate cephalopods
Dec 4, 2022World Wildlife Conservation Day
Aug 29, 2021Notes from an underground lake