Images related to Sunrise over the Aleutian Islands, with Noctilucent Clouds

Polar Mesospheric Clouds Illuminated by Orbital Sunrise
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds Illuminated by Orbital Sunrise

Normally seen only at twilight, polar mesospheric clouds are illuminated by “sunrise” in this astronaut photo from June 16, 2010.

Published Jul 5, 2010

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Northern Hemisphere
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Northern Hemisphere

“Night-shining” clouds form at high altitudes in late spring and early summer.

Published Jun 25, 2012

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Southern Hemisphere
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Southern Hemisphere

Night-shining clouds high in the atmosphere over the southern polar region appear in shades of blue and orange in this astronaut photo from January 30, 2010.

Published Feb 22, 2010

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds Over Central Asia
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds Over Central Asia

Polar mesospheric clouds (also known as noctilucent, or “night-shining” clouds) are transient, upper atmospheric phenomena that are usually observed in the summer months at high latitudes (greater than 50 degrees) of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They appear bright and cloudlike while in deep twilight. They are illuminated by sunlight when the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the darkness of Earth’s shadow.

Published Aug 4, 2008

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds

In June 2007, the Space Shuttle crew visiting the International Space Station (ISS) observed spectacular polar mesospheric clouds over north-central Asia. TThe red-to-dark region at the bottom of the image is the dense part of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Published Aug 13, 2007

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Noctilucent Clouds
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Noctilucent Clouds

Published Jan 5, 2008

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Glow-in-the-Dark Clouds
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Glow-in-the-Dark Clouds

Noctilucent clouds float high enough in the atmosphere to capture a little bit of stray sunlight even after the Sun has set below them.

Published Dec 2, 2016

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Noctilucent Clouds
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Noctilucent Clouds

An astronaut on the ISS caught a glimpse of a sliver of the setting Moon and some clouds that shine at night.

Published Aug 10, 2003

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Night-Shining Clouds are Getting Brighter
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Night-Shining Clouds are Getting Brighter

The rare night-shining clouds seen in this photo are both forming more frequently and becoming brighter, trends that point to changes in the atmosphere linked to greenhouse gases.

Published Jan 27, 2011

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Ukraine
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Ukraine

PMCs have become brighter and thicker and have appeared farther south in recent years.

Published Sep 15, 2014

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Clouds Light the Night
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Clouds Light the Night

As spring turns to summer in the northern hemisphere, unusual streaks of clouds form high in the atmosphere around sunset.

Published Jun 27, 2019

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, South Pacific Ocean
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, South Pacific Ocean

Noctilucent or “night shining” clouds form near the boundary of the mesosphere and thermosphere.

Published Jan 21, 2013

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A Day of Night-Shining Clouds
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A Day of Night-Shining Clouds

High-altitude night-shining clouds form and dissipate on a daily cycle revealed in this series of images made from data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite.

Published Jan 28, 2011

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