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Credit & Copyright: Daniele Boffelli
Explanation:
Auroras usually occur high above the clouds.
The auroral glow is created
when fast-moving particles ejected from the Sun impact the
Earth's magnetosphere, from which charged particles spiral along the
Earth's magnetic field to strike atoms and molecules high in the
Earth's atmosphere.
An oxygen atom, for example,
will glow in the green light commonly emitted by an
aurora after being energized by such a collision.
The lowest part of an
aurora will typically occur at 100 kilometers up, while
most clouds usually exist only below about 10 kilometers.
The relative heights of clouds and
auroras are shown clearly in
the
featured picture from
Dyrholaey,
Iceland.
There, a determined astrophotographer withstood
high winds and initially overcast skies in an attempt to a capture aurora over
a
picturesque lighthouse, only to take, by chance,
the featured picture
along
the way.
Date the Universe:
APOD 2016 Wall Calendars
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: aurora - clouds
Publications with words: aurora - clouds
See also:
- APOD: 2024 January 14 Á Dragon Aurora over Iceland
- APOD: 2024 January 3 Á A SAR Arc from New Zealand
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- The SAR and the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 November 5 Á Creature Aurora Over Norway
- APOD: 2023 October 22 Á Ghost Aurora over Canada
- APOD: 2023 August 20 Á A Roll Cloud Over Wisconsin