Space is indeed filled with wonderful things but sometimes, pure beauty is closer to home than we think. And we have International Space Station (ISS), a brilliant vantage point from which we can take in and capture various earthly phenomenon.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has posted an image of 'airglow'. The dreamy word may represent a phenomenon that has a firm basis in science. It does not take away the beauty of the phenomenon.

The airglow has been captured before on camera. But the photo posted by NASA this time shows a brilliant red hue that makes this one stand out.

The International Space Station (ISS) was over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 258 miles (415 kilometres). It was over northeast of Papua New Guinea, said NASA.

<h2>What is an airglow?</h2>

It is a specific phenomenon that occurs when molecules of sodium, oxygen, nitrogen and ozone get excited due to energy imparted by ultraviolet radiation of the sunlight. As the molecules collide with each other they emit light.

The airglow can be best captured at night. The astronaut aboard the ISS hence captured the image at a high exposure, so that more light entered the camera lens.

The ISS was travelling at a speed of 5 miles (8 kilometres) per second.

This high speed creates a unique situation for the space station. It completes one revolution of Earth in 90 minutes. This means that the ISS revolves around the Earth 16 times in a single day. This, in turn, means that astronauts aboard the ISS experience sunlight for 45 minutes and darkness for next 45 minutes. And the cycle repeats sixteen times each 'day'!

"Since the space station became operational in November 2000, crew members have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events," says NASA.

(With inputs from agencies)

Space is indeed filled with wonderful things but sometimes, pure beauty is closer to home than we think. And we have International Space Station (ISS), a brilliant vantage point from which we can take in and capture various earthly phenomenon.

Space is indeed filled with wonderful things but sometimes, pure beauty is closer to home than we think. And we have International Space Station (ISS), a brilliant vantage point from which we can take in and capture various earthly phenomenon. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has posted an image of 'airglow'. The dreamy word may represent a phenomenon that has a firm basis in science. It does not take away the beauty of the phenomenon. The airglow has been captured before on camera. But the photo posted by NASA this time shows a brilliant red hue that makes this one stand out. The International Space Station (ISS) was over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 258 miles (415 kilometres). It was over northeast of Papua New Guinea, said NASA. What is an airglow? It is a specific phenomenon that occurs when molecules of sodium, oxygen, nitrogen and ozone get excited due to energy imparted by ultraviolet radiation of the sunlight. As the molecules collide with each other they emit light. The airglow can be best captured at night. The astronaut aboard the ISS hence captured the image at a high exposure, so that more light entered the camera lens. The ISS was travelling at a speed of 5 miles (8 kilometres) per second. This high speed creates a unique situation for the space station. It completes one revolution of Earth in 90 minutes. This means that the ISS revolves around the Earth 16 times in a single day. This, in turn, means that astronauts aboard the ISS experience sunlight for 45 minutes and darkness for next 45 minutes. And the cycle repeats sixteen times each 'day'! "Since the space station became operational in November 2000, crew members have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events," says NASA. (With inputs from agencies)

'Airglow' captured from ISS mesmerises with its reddish hue

Trust NASA to send stunning pictures of the cosmos our way. There are tonnes of images that are simply wow and the trickle doesn't appear to slow down as the space agency points its lenses towards the space and brings&nbsp;us images from even distant corners.

Among the latest ones that have mesmerised the people&nbsp;is an image of the only planet we call home. And it's just not any pic. This image captures Earth's 'airglow' with the moon shining just above. The image was captured just last week, on November 14 from the ISS (International Space Station).

NASA has posted the image from its Instagram handle.

"A view of Earth from the space station during orbital night. The Moon is above earth nearly centered above the surface. An airglow outlines the atmosphere above the Earth's surface in a yellow shade. Lights from cities dot Earth's surface – among them, a concentration of lights near the horizon identifies the city of Chicago, while the concentration of lights closer to the bottom left identifies Denver," wrote NASA.

The agency explains what exactly is an 'airglow' -&nbsp;Atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere get energised due to sunlight, and as they shed their excess energy, it leads to an airglow.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/cosmic-vine-scientists-discover-enormous-cosmic-structure-hosting-20-galaxies-660417">‘Cosmic Vine’: Scientists discover enormous structure hosting 20 galaxies</a>

So are airglow and auroras the same? Not quite.

Auroras are formed when charged particles emitted by the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/a-mysterious-phenomenon-is-changing-the-earths-core-heres-how-660689">A mysterious phenomenon is changing the Earth's core. Here's how</a>

"Studying airflow gives us a peek into the upper atmosphere's temperature, density, and composition, but it also helps us trace how particles move through the region itself. Vast, high-altitude winds sweep through the ionosphere, pushing its contents around the globe — and airglow's subtle dance follows their lead, highlighting global patterns," says NASA.

The image has got more than 700,000 likes and Instagram users have expressed their opinions (ALL positive) in the comments below the post.

Trust NASA to send stunning pictures of the cosmos our way. There are tonnes of images that are simply wow and the trickle doesn't appear to slow down as the space agency points its lenses towards the space and brings us images from even distant corners.

Trust NASA to send stunning pictures of the cosmos our way. There are tonnes of images that are simply wow and the trickle doesn't appear to slow down as the space agency points its lenses towards the space and brings us images from even distant corners. Among the latest ones that have mesmerised the people is an image of the only planet we call home. And it's just not any pic. This image captures Earth's 'airglow' with the moon shining just above. The image was captured just last week, on November 14 from the ISS (International Space Station). NASA has posted the image from its Instagram handle. "A view of Earth from the space station during orbital night. The Moon is above earth nearly centered above the surface. An airglow outlines the atmosphere above the Earth's surface in a yellow shade. Lights from cities dot Earth's surface – among them, a concentration of lights near the horizon identifies the city of Chicago, while the concentration of lights closer to the bottom left identifies Denver," wrote NASA. The agency explains what exactly is an 'airglow' - Atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere get energised due to sunlight, and as they shed their excess energy, it leads to an airglow. Also Read | ‘Cosmic Vine’: Scientists discover enormous structure hosting 20 galaxies So are airglow and auroras the same? Not quite. Auroras are formed when charged particles emitted by the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field. Also Read | A mysterious phenomenon is changing the Earth's core. Here's how "Studying airflow gives us a peek into the upper atmosphere's temperature, density, and composition, but it also helps us trace how particles move through the region itself. Vast, high-altitude winds sweep through the ionosphere, pushing its contents around the globe — and airglow's subtle dance follows their lead, highlighting global patterns," says NASA. The image has got more than 700,000 likes and Instagram users have expressed their opinions (ALL positive) in the comments below the post.

NASA posts beautiful picture of Earth's 'airglow'

airglow

Airglow, News on Airglow, stories on Airglow, articles on Airglow, Airglow stories at Wion, Airglow news, Airglow latest news