Planet Earth at Twilight
Explanation:
No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into night in
this
gorgeous view
of ocean and clouds over
our fair planet
Earth.
Instead, the shadow line or terminator is diffuse and shows
the gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight.
With the Sun illuminating the scene from the right,
the cloud tops reflect gently reddened
sunlight filtered
through the dusty troposphere,
the lowest layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere.
A clear high altitude layer,
visible along the dayside's upper edge,
scatters blue
sunlight and fades into the blackness of space.
This picture was taken from the
International Space Station
orbiting at an altitude of 211
nautical
miles.
Of course from home,
you can check out the Earth Now.
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.
