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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Astronomy VIDEO of the Day

Flying Over the Earth at Night
From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day


Explanation: Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white cloudsorange city lightslightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas


On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth's thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. 


Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes.







Video Credit: Gateway to Astronaut PhotographyNASA ; Compilation: Bitmeizer (YouTube); 
Music: Freedom Fighters (Two Steps from Hell)