Detail View: NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection: Aurora from Space
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Title:
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Aurora from Space
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Explanation:
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From the ground, spectacular auroras seem to dance [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/ gallery_01mar03.html ] high above. But the International Space Station (ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070625.html ]) orbits at nearly the same height as many auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/ auroras/ ], sometimes passing over [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010210.html ] them, and sometimes right through them. Still, the auroral electron [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] and proton [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/lament.html ] streams pose no direct danger to the ISS [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ]. In 2003, ISS Science Officer Don Pettit [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html ] captured the green aurora, pictured above [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/ 24mar_noseprints.htm ] in a digitally sharpened image. From orbit, Pettit reported [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/ spacechronicles.html ] that changing auroras [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] appeared to crawl around like giant green amoebas [ http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep01/ amoeba.html ]. Over 300 kilometers below, the Manicouagan Impact Crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ] can be seen in northern Canada, planet Earth.
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Credit and Copyright:
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Don Pettit [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html ], ISS Expedition 6 [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]
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facet_when:
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2003
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facet_where:
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Canada
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facet_what:
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Aurora
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facet_when_year:
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2003
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original url:
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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070715.html
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UID:
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SPD-APOD-ap070715
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