Public domain
Aurora Australis as seen from STS-62
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
STS062-58-025 (4-18 March) --- This photo shows the aurora australis or souther lights. The multi-hued shafts of light, extending upward to 200 miles above the earth's surface, are caused by beams of energetic electrons colliding with the oxygen and nitrogen in the earth's upper atmosphere. The strong red glow occurs at the highest altitude where the air is least dense and composed mostly of oxygen. At lower altitudes, the greater density favors the green color, also produced by atomic oxygen.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineAurora Australis as seen from STS-62. NASA/JSC, 1994-03-05. Public domain. ID: sts062-58-025.
