Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Aurora Over Clouds
Explanation:
Aurorae usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow [ http://www.geo.mtu.…] is created when fast-moving charged particles from the Earth's magnetosphere [ http://csep10.phys.…magnetic.html ] impact air molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.…]. An oxygen molecule [ http://pearl1.lanl.…], for example, will emit a green light when reacquiring an electron [ http://www.aip.org/…] lost during a collision. The lowest part of an aurora [ http://www.pfrr.ala…] will typically occur at 100 kilometers and up, while most clouds [ http://seaborg.nmu.…] usually exist only below about 10 kilometers. The relative heights of cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]s and auroras [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are shown clearly in the above picture [ http://www.spacew.c…] taken last month from near Quebec City, Canada [ http://www.cia.gov/…]. The most likely time to see an aurora [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] is around midnight.
Credit and Copyright:
Dominic Cantin [ mailto:d_cantin at hotmail.com ]
facet_where:
Canada
facet_where:
Alaska
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
FAST
facet_what:
Aurorae
facet_what:
Aurora
facet_what:
clouds
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap030910

Aurora Over Clouds
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