NASA has shown a photo of the golden glow of the Earth’s atmosphere, which was taken from the International Space Station (ISS), Space reports.
Atmospheric glow, or air glow, occurs when sunlight interacts with atoms and molecules in the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Nitrogen, oxygen, sodium, and ozone molecules are excited by ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and, in turn, emit light when they collide with each other.
The shade of the glow depends on the concentration of elements in the atmosphere, as each of them gives off its own color.
The photo was taken at an altitude of 415 kilometers as the ISS flew over the Pacific Ocean northeast of Papua New Guinea.
Moving at a speed of 8 kilometers per second, the ISS orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes, experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets in 24 hours. During one rotation, the ISS observes about 45 minutes of daylight and 45 minutes of darkness.
