File:Aurora Australis From ISS edit1.JPG
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Summary
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English: Aurora Australis Observed From the International Space Station
Among the views of Earth afforded astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), surely one of the most spectacular is of the aurora. These ever-shifting displays of colored ribbons, curtains, rays, and spots are most visible near the North (aurora borealis) and South (aurora australis) Poles as charged particles (ions) streaming from the Sun (the solar wind) interact with Earth’s magnetic field. While aurora are generally only visible close to the poles, severe magnetic storms impacting the Earth’s magnetic field can shift them towards the equator. This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 kilometers (220 miles), with the astronaut observer most likely looking towards Antarctica (not visible) and the South Pole. The aurora has a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image. While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red left of image center. Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of the Earth’s horizon (the limb) is clearly visible, as is the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere directly above it (at image top center). Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at image top right. Auroras happen when ions in the solar wind collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. The atoms are excited by these collisions, and they typically emit light as they return to their original energy level. The light creates the aurora that we see. The most commonly observed color of aurora is green, caused by light emitted by excited oxygen atoms at wavelengths centered at 0.558 micrometers, or millionths of a meter. (Visible light is reflected from healthy (green) plant leaves at approximately the same wavelength.) Red aurora are generated by light emitted at a longer wavelength (0.630 micrometers), and other colors such as blue and purple are also sometimes observed.
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| Source | Mission: ISS023 Roll: E Frame: 58455 Mission ID on the Film or image: ISS023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author | ISS Expedition 23 crew | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other versions | File:Aurora Australis From ISS.JPG - Original | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Gaussian blur, radius 1.8 pixels.
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| Camera location |  | View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap |  |
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This image or video was catalogued by Johnson Space Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: ISS023-E-58455. This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. Other languages:
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Image acquired with a Nikon D3 digital camera, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center.
Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.
Licensing
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This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) |  |
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File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 16:26, 28 June 2010 | | 4,256 × 2,832 (5.76 MB) | Adam Cuerden | Reverse order in which filters were applied. |
| 16:15, 28 June 2010 |  | 4,256 × 2,832 (7.29 MB) | Adam Cuerden | Add a despeckle filter | |
| 16:07, 28 June 2010 |  | 4,256 × 2,832 (6.49 MB) | Adam Cuerden | upload´ðæ+ |
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