April 27, 2024

Astronaut’s Breathtaking View: Moonglint, Volcanic Aleutians, and Aurora Borealis

The Northern Lights in View.
A striking green light high up in Earths environment is apparent in the image. The interaction between the magnetic field and solar radiation triggers the color display screen shown in the image. Auroras can likewise take place over the southern hemisphere, where they are known as the aurora australis (southern lights).
Astronaut photo ISS067-E-363431 was gotten on September 17, 2022, with a Nikon D5 digital electronic camera utilizing a focal length of 28 millimeters. It is supplied by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 67 team. The image has actually been cropped and improved to enhance contrast, and lens artifacts have been eliminated. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take images of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images easily readily available on the Internet. Caption by Minna Adel Rubio, GeoControl Systems, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.

This photo of the Aleutian Islands is highlighted by the gleaming light of aurora borealis and moonglint. It was recorded by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on September 17, 2022. (Click image for high-resolution, non-annotated version.).
The aurora borealis and moonglint shine bright in this astronaut photo of the Alaskan island chain.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured this spectacular image of the Aleutian Islands off the coast of mainland Alaska. When the Moons light shows from the water at a specific angle, the archipelago is illuminated by moonglint– a phenomenon similar to sunglint that happens only. Recording moonglint is unusual in astronaut photography, making this image even more unique.
Formation of the Aleutians.
Although some island chains form from processes such as disintegration and increasing water level, many island chains, consisting of the Aleutians, are the result of volcanic eruptions. Occupying a location of about 6,800 square miles (17,611 square kilometers), the islands arc southwest then northwest for about 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) from the Alaskan Peninsula to Attu Island (not envisioned). The Aleutian chain forms the border between the primary body of the Pacific Ocean to the south and the Bering Sea to the north.

The archipelago is illuminated by moonglint– a phenomenon comparable to sunglint that happens just when the Moons light reflects from the water at a specific angle. Recording moonglint is rare in astronaut photography, making this image all the more special.
A striking green light high up in Earths environment is evident in the image. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take photos of Earth that will be of the biggest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images easily readily available on the Internet.