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:

May 8, 2022Mother s Day
Aug 2, 2020Bellissima!
Aug 25, 2020Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand
Oct 30, 2022Polar Bear Week
Mar 7, 2019March of the flowers
May 15, 2023The Canary Islands, Spain
Aug 31, 2018Let’s have a ball
Oct 6, 2022International Geodiversity Day
Dec 7, 2018Honoring our fallen heroes
Aug 5, 2024Lavender field, Hertfordshire, England
Sep 25, 2019Chilling out in the Arctic
Jul 22, 2020Wildebeest on the move
Sep 19, 2019Fall for birding
Mar 25, 2023Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
Feb 23, 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
Feb 4, 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Jun 5, 2024World Environment Day
Nov 22, 2020Birds of the Drömling
Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
Apr 12, 2020Who created the Easter Bunny?
Aug 15, 2020Celebrating the Acadians
Aug 9, 2024International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Apr 3, 2025National Find a Rainbow Day
May 24, 2020Let s get lost
Dec 28, 2019Did they forget to fly south?
Dec 8, 2020A fortress in the sky
Jan 1, 2019New Year’s Day in the land of the rising sun
Dec 21, 2024Happy winter solstice!
Jun 20, 2022Pollinator Week
Jun 16, 2024Happy Fathers Day!