| ISS003 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights |
| TOP PICKS |
| Click here to view the complete online collection of astronaut photography of Earth >> |
| ISS003-E-6152 |
 ISS003-E-6152 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record. |
| Green Aurora Seen from the Space Station: As geomagnetic
storms cause beautiful displays of aurora across the United States,
astronauts onboard the International Space Station also have the
opportunity to take a look. Green colors of the aurora are dominant
in this image captured by a digital still camera on October 4, 2001.
Auroras are caused when high-energy electrons pour down from the
Earth’s magnetosphere and collide with atoms. Green aurora occurs
from about 100 km to 250 km altitude and is caused by the emission of
5577 Angstrom wavelength light from oxygen atoms. The light is
emitted when the atoms return to their original unexcited state. At times of peaks in solar activity, there are more geomagnetic storms and this increases the auroral activity viewed on Earth and by astronauts from orbit. By using a digital camera with a long exposure time, astronauts can capture a part of the light from the multicolored displays they observe, and downlink those images to Earth. |
| < Back |
|
This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate. Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." . |
||||
 |
|
|
 |
|