A breathtaking image captured from the International Space Station (ISS) shows the bright colours of Earth's atmosphere as seen from space. The image appears to show our planet enveloped in an iridescent yellow sheen.
"The colors of our atmosphere seen from space! Multiple vibrant layers of green atomic oxygen, orange hydroxyl radicals, and red airglow excited from solar activity," the caption of the image read.
With stars twinkling in the background, the image shared by NASA astronaut Don Pettit looks absolutely stunning. However, when exactly the image was captured is not mentioned.
See the post here:
What's the reason behind these colours?
The vibrant colours in the image are actually a result of a phenomenon called airglow, which is different from auroras. The airglow is a natural process where the Earth's atmosphere emits light.
International Space Station (ISS)
ISS is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit where astronauts live and work for extended periods. It is a collaborative project between space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. Together, they observe Earth from above and release beautiful images of the planet we live on, showing glimpses of its oceans, forests and more.
When it comes to its synergy with Earth, ISS has the capability of doing more than what can be done here on Earth. It serves as a research laboratory, observatory and testbed for spaceflight technologies.
ISS helps track climate change, monitoring sea level rise, deforestation, and ocean currents. Astronauts also capture images of natural disasters, aiding emergency responders.
The scientists have conducted various science experiments in space, and the ones related to health are crucial, such as microgravity experiments would improve our understanding of diseases, like osteoporosis and cancer.
Social media reaction
"How many planets are there that are enveloped in such beautiful light? Even if they exist, we cannot go there, so they are one of a kind!!" said one user.
"Maybe we are just an asteroid traveling across the vast universe imprisoned in a galaxy?" another user wondered.
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