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Earth From Above: A Very Thin Atmosphere
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Earth From Above: A Very Thin Atmosphere is a 3D virtual gallery on MyGallery3D, a walkable online exhibition of 18 works. Step inside and explore it in your browser: no app, no headset.
Welcome to a 3D virtual gallery you can walk through in your browser, exploring the fragile shell of gas that keeps everything on Earth alive.
Three quarters of the atmosphere's mass sits below 11 kilometres, a distance you could drive in minutes. This very thin atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen, with variable water vapor that forms every cloud we see. Astronauts report being struck by its visible thinness: a bright blue line against the black void of space, startlingly easy to imagine gone.
Astronauts describe an overview effect: a cognitive shift triggered by seeing Earth's atmosphere as a visibly thin line. Michael Collins called the planet tiny, shiny, and fragile. William Shatner described the blue covering as a comforter you could whip away in an instant. Every second, Earth loses about 3 kilograms of hydrogen and 50 grams of helium to space through the outermost layer.
The atmosphere divides into five layers by temperature. The troposphere, from the surface to roughly 12 kilometres, holds 80% of the atmosphere's total mass and nearly all its weather. Above it, the stratosphere contains the ozone layer, which absorbs ultraviolet radiation. Higher still, the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere thin toward space. The conventional edge, the Kármán line, is set at just 100 kilometres.
A 35mm frame of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, photographed from the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck by one of its seven crew members. One of the mission objectives was to measure the spectral and spatial characteristics of auroral emissions.
While passing over the sunlighted portion of Earth, the crew was able to take a number of photos of the various geographic points on the planet; much of the time on nightside passes was devoted to a thorough study and documentation of auroral displays.
Image: STS039-25-006 (28 April, 6 May 1991)
NASA · JSC · 1991-05-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
This view featuring the Aurora Australis or "southern lights" was photographed by astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The four stars hanging above Earth's limb are the brightest stars of the southern constellation Corvus.
NASA · JSC · 2003-06-03 · Aurora on Wikipedia
An aurora blankets Earth's horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above North America (April 24, 2024). In the foreground are the Rassvet module and the Nauka science module. The Prichal docking module and the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship are both attached to Nauka.
NASA · JSC · 2024-04-09 · Aurora on Wikipedia
This nighttime view of Earth's horizon and scattered city lights was photographed by one of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space Station (4 Feb. 2012). Activity of Aurora Borealis appears from behind one of the orbital outpost's solar array panels, then fades into an area where Earth's limb is visible and finally a small "slice" of daybreak appears at right.
NASA · JSC · 2012-02-04 · Aurora on Wikipedia
This view featuring the Aurora Australis or "southern lights" was photographed by astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). When this was taken, the Station was in a position over the Indian Ocean, southwest of Australia. The four stars hanging above Earth's limb are the brightest stars of the southern constellation Corvus.
NASA · JSC · 2003-06-03 · Aurora on Wikipedia
Minor activity of Aurora Borealis is easily recognized "piggybacking" Earth's limb in this 24-mm image photographed by one of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space Station from approximately 240 miles above Earth. Clouds obscure what would be any recognizable points on the planet.
A section of one of the solar array panels on the orbital outpost is seen across the top of the frame.
NASA · JSC · 2012-02-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
Auroras are caused when high-energy electrons pour down from the Earth's magnetosphere and collide with atoms. Red aurora, as captured here by a still digital camera aboard the International Space Station (ISS), occurs from 200 km to as high as 500 km altitude and is caused by the emission of 6300 Angstrom wavelength light from oxygen atoms. The light is emitted when the atoms return to their original unexcited state.
The white spot in the image is from a light on inside of the ISS that is reflected off the inside of the window. The pale blue arch on the left side of the frame is sunlight reflecting off the atmospheric limb of the Earth. 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.
NASA · MSFC · 2001-10-01 · Aurora on Wikipedia
A 35mm frame of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, photographed from Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck by one of its seven crew members during STS039 (28 April, 6 May 1991). One of the mission objectives was to measure the spectral and spatial characteristics of auroral emissions.
While passing over the sunlighted portion of Earth, the crew was able to take a number of photos of the various geographic points on the planet. Much of the time on nightside passes was devoted to a thorough study and documentation of auroral displays.
NASA · JSC · 1991-05-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
A portion of the International Space Station's solar arrays caps this nighttime view of the Earth's limb with an aurora as the orbital complex orbited 258 miles above Ukraine and Russia.
Image: iss058e005282 (Jan. 19, 2019)
NASA · JSC · 2019-01-18 · Aurora on Wikipedia
This view of the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, shows a band of airglow above the limb of Earth. Photo experts at NASA studying the mission photography identify the airglow as being in the 80, 120 kilometer altitude region and attribute its existence to atomic oxygen (wavelength of 5,577 Angstroms), although other atoms can also contribute.
The atomic oxygen airglow is usually most intense at altitudes around 65 degrees north and south latitude, and is most intense in the spring and fall of the year. The aurora phenomena is due to atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen being excited by the particles from the Van Allen Radiation belts which extend between the two geomagnetic poles.
The red and green rays appear to extend upward to 200, 300 kilometers, much higher than the usual upper limits of about 110 kilometers.
Image: STS039-342-026 (28 April, 6 May 1991)
NASA · JSC · 1991-05-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
The constellation Orion is backdropped against a colorful display of the Southern Lights (aurora australis) in this 35mm image. Six NASA astronauts went on to spend a week and a half aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in support of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-1) mission.
Image: STS059-52-029 (9, 20 April 1994)
NASA · JSC · 1994-04-10 · Aurora on Wikipedia
Moonlight saturates the high speed film used for auroral photography in this frame taken with a handheld 35mm camera from inside the Space Shuttle Discovery's crew cabin during STS039 (28 April, 6 May 1991). Moon glint is visible in the open ocean and the cloud patterns are well illuminated.
This is one of 25 visuals used by the STS-39 crew at its May 17, 1991 Post Flight Press Conference. Discovery's flight of eight days duration launched April 28, 1991 from Kennedy Space Center and completed on May 6, 1991 at the KSC landing facility, was dedicated to the Department of Defense. Crew members were astronauts Michael L. Coats, L. Blaine Hammond, Guion S. Bluford, Richard J. Hieb, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Donald R. McMonagle and Charles L. (Lacy) Veach.
NASA · JSC · 1991-05-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
Aurora Australis is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member on the International Space Station. Among the views of Earth afforded crew members aboard the ISS, surely one of the most spectacular is of the aurora. These ever-shifting displays of colored ribbons, curtains, rays, and spots are most visible near the North (Aurora Borealis) and South (Aurora Australis) Poles as charged particles streaming from the sun (the solar wind) interact with Earth's magnetic field, resulting in collisions with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. The atoms are excited by these collisions, and typically emit photons as a means of returning to their original energy state. The photons form the aurora that we see.
The most commonly observed color of aurora is green, caused by photons (light) emitted by excited oxygen atoms at wavelengths centered at 0.558 micrometers, or millionths of a meter. Visible light is reflected from healthy (green) plant leaves at approximately the same wavelength. Red auroras are generated by light emitted at a longer wavelength (0.630 micrometers), and other colors such as blue and purple are also sometimes observed. While auroras are generally only visible close to the poles, severe magnetic storms impacting Earth's magnetic field can shift them towards the equator.
This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 kilometers, with the observer most likely looking towards Antarctica and the South Pole. The aurora has a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image. While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red photon emission as well (light fuscia tones at center left). Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of Earth's horizon, or limb, is clearly visible as is the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere directly above at top center. Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at top right.
NASA · JSC · 2010-05-29 · Aurora on Wikipedia
The Aurora Borealis, also known as "northern lights", is featured in this photograph taken by astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition 6 NASA ISS science officer, onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA · JSC · 2003-03-01 · Aurora on Wikipedia
Earth Observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station. The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) arm is visible. Aurora visible over Earth limb.
NASA · JSC · 2014-07-14 · Aurora on Wikipedia
STS-45 Earth observation taken onboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, is of the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights. The green appearing auroral activity engulfs the thin blue line on the Earth's limb.
Aurorae were observed and photographed throughout the STS-45 nine-day mission.
NASA · JSC · 1992-04-02 · Aurora on Wikipedia
This nighttime view featuring the aurora borealis, the moon and Moscow was photographed by an Expedition 39 crew member on the International Space Station (2 April 2014). A thin green line of the aurora borealis crosses the top of this image. The moon appears as a white disc just above the aurora. Airglow appears as a blue-white cusp on Earth's limb.
Russia's capital city Moscow makes a splash of yellow (lower left), with its easily recognized radial pattern of highways. Other cities are Nizhni Novgorod (lower center) 400 kilometers from Moscow, St. Petersburg (left) 625 kilometers from Moscow, and Finland's capital city Helsinki.
NASA · JSC · 2014-04-02 · Aurora on Wikipedia
A 35mm frame of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, photographed from the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck by one of its seven crew members. One of the mission objectives was to measure the spectral and spatial characteristics of auroral emissions.
While passing over the sunlit portion of Earth, the crew was able to take a number of photos of the various geographic points on the planet; much of the time on nightside passes was devoted to a thorough study and documentation of auroral displays.
Image: STS039-23-036 (28 April, 6 May 1991)
NASA · JSC · 1991-05-06 · Aurora on Wikipedia
