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Images related to ICONic Views of the Atmosphere

Earth Awash in Lights of the Night
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Earth Awash in Lights of the Night

City lights sprawl across Earth’s surface below a constant glow in the upper atmosphere.

Published Oct 23, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Looking Down on a Shooting Star
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Looking Down on a Shooting Star

Astronauts captured this unusual view of a Perseid meteor descending into Earth's atmosphere in August 2011.

Published Aug 17, 2011

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Thinning Upper Atmosphere
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Thinning Upper Atmosphere

From a vantage point about 360 km (225 miles) over the Earth, Space Station crewmembers photographed the crescent moon through the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. At the bottom of the image, a closed deck of clouds is probably at about 6 km (3 miles). The shades of blue grading to black are caused by the scatter of light as it strikes gas molecules of the very low density upper atmosphere.

Published Feb 23, 2004

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Rocketing into the Northern Lights
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Rocketing into the Northern Lights

Sounding rockets probe the way auroras and solar activity affect the atmosphere.

Published Feb 3, 2015

Image of the Day Atmosphere Human Presence

Airglow Over the Indian Ocean
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Airglow Over the Indian Ocean

The diffuse orange and green bands of light are caused by molecules in the atmosphere that have been energized by absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Published Oct 8, 2020

Image of the Day Atmosphere

A GOLDen Look at the Ionosphere
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A GOLDen Look at the Ionosphere

Satellites are shedding new light on the invisible processes and rhythms at play at the intersection between Earth and space.

Published Dec 26, 2019

Image of the Day Atmosphere Remote Sensing

Lights On and Over the Southern Horizon
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Lights On and Over the Southern Horizon

An astronaut caught a glimpse of the aurora australis while looking out across the Indian Ocean.

Published Jul 2, 2017

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Aurora, Meet Airglow
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Aurora, Meet Airglow

The colors and altitude are often the same, but the atmospheric processes are different.

Published Aug 16, 2020

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Auroral Rocket in Norway
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Auroral Rocket in Norway

Photographers captured these digital photos of a four-stage Black Brant XII sounding rocket and the aurora borealis on December 12, 2010, during the NASA-funded Rocket Experiment for Neutral Upwelling (RENU).

Published Jan 4, 2011

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Hovering on the Horizon
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Hovering on the Horizon

The limb of the Earth is a work of awesome beauty and a gift to science.

Published Nov 26, 2011

Image of the Day Atmosphere Remote Sensing

Atmospheric Methane
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Atmospheric Methane

Published Feb 22, 2005

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Mid-Summer Auroras
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Mid-Summer Auroras

Solar storms smacked into Earth’s magnetic field and provoked auroras over the southern and northern hemisphere just after the summer solstice.

Published Jun 28, 2015

Image of the Day Atmosphere Unique Imagery

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