We’re soarin' - flyin':

⁣Earth's airglow outlines the planet's horizon with the Moon above in this photograph captured on Nov. 14, 2023, from the International Space Station (@ISS) as it orbited 260 miles (418 km) above the midwestern United States. At lower right, the city lights of Denver and its suburbs shine. The bright lights of Chicago are in the background.⁣

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Airglow is when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light in order to shed their excess energy. Similar to auroras, except auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind – airglow is sparked by day-to-day solar radiation. Studying airglow 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.⁣

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Image Description: 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 Earth’s surface in a yellow shade. Lights from cities dot Earth’s surface – among them, a concentration of lights near the horizon identify the city of Chicago, while the concentration of lights closer to bottom left identify Denver.⁣

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Credit: NASA⁣

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18 November 2023