Revealed: The stunning green glow of the Southern Lights photographed by astronauts from ABOVE
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:01 PM on 21st June 2010
Like a green ribbon snaking its way out into space this stunning image shows the famous Southern Lights from a rather unusual angle - above.
像一條綠絲帶蜿蜒找它的出路進入太空，這令人震撼的影像展示著名的南光從一個不尋常的角度 - 從上。
Taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), this picture shows the aurora australis against the backdrop of Earth's horizon.
拍自登上國際空間站（ISS）的太空人，這張圖片顯示南極光，相對地球的地平線背景。
These ever-shifting displays are most visible near the North (aurora borealis) and South (aurora australis) Poles.
The ISS was over the Southern Indian Ocean at an altitude of 350 km, with the astronauts looking towards Antarctica and the South Pole.
Green flash: The Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) as observed From the International Space Station. The curve of the Earth and the blue light of the atmosphere can also be seen綠色閃光：南極光（南光）如所觀察，來自國際空間站。地球的曲線和大氣層的藍光亦可看到
Dense cloud cover is dimly visible below the aurora. The curvature of the Earth’s horizon can be clearly seen as well as the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere.
The stunning sight is formed as charged particles streaming from the Sun – known as the solar wind - interact with Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in collisions with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere.
This striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was probably caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on May 24th.
The atoms emit photons as a means of returning to their original energy state. The photons form the aurora that we see.
The most commonly observed colour of aurora is green, caused by photons (light) emitted by excited oxygen atoms at wavelengths centered at 0.558 micrometers, or millionths of a metre.
Visible light is reflected from healthy (green) plant leaves at approximately the same wavelength.
Red aurora are generated by light emitted at a longer wavelength (0.630 micrometers), and other colours such as blue and purple are also sometimes observed.
While aurora are generally only visible close to the poles, severe magnetic storms impacting the Earth’s magnetic field can shift them towards the equator.
A more typical view of the Southern Lights over the Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole taken in 2002
一更典型的景觀，於 2002年拍到在南極阿蒙森斯科特站上空的南光
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1288284/Revealed-The-stunning-green-glow-Southern-Lights-photographed-astronauts-ABOVE.html
宇航員拍攝美麗極光 宛如綠色絲帶纏繞地球
2010年06月23日10:27
據國外媒體報道，國際空間站（International Space Station ）的宇航員近日拍攝到一組綠色南極光綿延纏繞在地球南極上空的照片。在藍色地球的映襯下，綠色南極光像緞帶一樣蜿蜒漂浮。
地球南北兩極附近生活的人們經常可以看到極光現象。由科學家和極光愛好者拍攝到的美麗極光照片也屢見報端，使得我們可以一窺這神奇的自然景色。但從太空拍攝到的極光照片卻不多見。太陽風釋放的帶電粒子和地球兩極的磁場相互碰撞是形成極光的主要原因。而國際空間站拍攝到這張綠色緞帶極光時，恰逢5月24日日冕引發地磁暴現象，從而致使大氣中的氧及氮原子從新回歸原始能級進而釋放光子，從而形成綠色極光。
南北兩極發生的極光現象，最常見的是綠色極光。這種綠色極光是由波長為0.558微米（1微米的長度僅為1/1000000米）的活躍氧原子釋放光子所形成。另外，南北極光還可能發出藍色、紫色、紅色等不同的顏色，其顏色的不同主要是由於不同的原子回歸原始能量級時所釋放出不同波長光子所致。另外，發生強烈地磁暴現象時，在赤道附近也可以看到相同的天文現象，但這種情況極為罕見。
宇航員拍攝這張綠色緞帶的極光照片時，國際空間站正在距地面350千米處的上空高速飛越南印度洋地區。而這個角度恰好可以使宇航員同時觀測到南北兩極。在極光明亮色彩的映襯下，地球上空濃密的雲團顯得模糊可見，但藍色地平線卻更加清晰。（來源：騰訊科技 嘟嘟）
http://scitech.people.com.cn/BIG5/11948415.html
The Southern Lights - (Aurora Australis) and the Milky Way
南光 - （南極光）和銀河系
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Southern Lights
南光
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Aurora
極光
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