Ultraviolet Earth
Credit & Copyright: NASA,
Apollo 16, George Carruthers
(NRL) and the Far UV
Camera Team
Explanation:
Here's a switch: the above picture is of the
Earth taken from a
lunar observatory!
This
false
color picture shows how the
Earth
glows in
ultraviolet (UV) light.
UV light is so blue humans can't see it.
Very little UV light is transmitted through the Earth's atmosphere but what
sunlight does make it through can cause a
sunburn. The
Far UV Camera / Spectrograph deployed and left on the Moon by the crew of
Apollo 16 took
the above picture. The part of the Earth facing the
Sun reflects much UV
light, but perhaps more interesting is the side facing away from the Sun.
Here bands of UV emission are also apparent. These bands are the result of
aurora
and are caused by charged particles expelled by the Sun spiraling to
Earth along
magnetic field
lines.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
