The International Space Station has released a spectacular image, showing a golden ring of light around Earth, caused by a phenomenon called airglow.
Airglow, according to NASA, “occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionised by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light.” Somewhat similar to auroras, a significant difference is that airglow is always present.
Although the ISS has photographed airglow before, this image is particularly beautiful thanks to the clear view of the different layers of airglow.
At the time of the shot, the ISS was 258 miles above the Pacific Ocean northeast of Papua New Guinea.
As always, NASA has released this image along with the EXIF data – allowing photography enthusiasts to see what camera equipment and settings are used by those on board the ISS.
The photo was taken using a Nikon D5 with a 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. Taken on a 1 second exposure at f/2.8, the ISO reportedly was 65535, however it was probably even higher, as it is known that some computers only display EXIF data ISO levels up to 65535. This high ISO explains the graininess of the image.
Airglow isn’t just visible from space. Check out the below image taken from the ESO’s (European Southern Observatory) VLT observatory site in Chile.
