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Credit & Copyright: Dominic Cantin
Explanation:
Aurorae usually occur high above the clouds.
The auroral glow is created when fast-moving
particles ejected from the
Sun impact air molecules high in the
Earth's atmosphere.
An
oxygen molecule, for example,
will glow in a green light when reacquiring an
electron
lost during a collision with a solar particle.
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
above picture taken last month from near Quebec City,
Canada.
The most likely time to see an
aurora is around midnight.
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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 December 8 Á Aurora around Saturns North Pole
- APOD: 2024 November 19 Á Undulatus Clouds over Las Campanas Observatory
- APOD: 2024 October 16 Á Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
- APOD: 2024 October 13 Á Aurora Timelapse Over Italian Alps
- Northern Lights, West Virginia
- Aurora Australis and the International Space Station
- APOD: 2024 July 7 Á Iridescent Clouds over Sweden