APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
Post Reply
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5344
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by APOD Robot » Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:12 am

Image Flying Over the Earth at Night

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 clouds, orange city lights, lightning 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.

<< Previous APOD This Day in APOD Next APOD >>
[/b]

User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by MargaritaMc » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:24 am

Sequences:

1. North-to-south down the western coast of North and South America.
2. North-to-south over Florida, the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands.
3. South-East Asia, approaching the Philippine Sea
4. Western Europe, from France through Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.
5. Aurora Australis, over the Indian Ocean, approaching Australia
6. Aurora Australis, over the Indian Ocean.
7. Aurora Australis, unknown location in the Southern Hemisphere.

(From the YouTube link in the Apod text)
I love this video, which I have on my Favourites list at YouTube and watch often! It continues to fascinate me that the flashes we see are lightening. The video of auroras - following the link in the text - is also stunning.

Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

K1NS

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by K1NS » Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:18 am

In the opening seqence, north to south along the western coast of the Americas, there is a large patch of green lights somewhere in Central America in perhaps Guatemala or El Salvador. I looked at this video several times and saw no other green lights anywhere else in the world.

What's up with those green lights?

User avatar
LocalColor
Science Officer
Posts: 266
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:11 pm
Location: Central Idaho, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by LocalColor » Sun Mar 31, 2013 6:06 pm

One of our favorite APOD videos!

Borc

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by Borc » Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:17 pm

K1NS wrote:
What's up with those green lights?
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS I DO NOT KNOW?!
I saw this too. It makes me SO curious. Maybe something in the atmosphere in that region? I find that to be most likely. Maybe? Or maybe that city REALLY likes the color green.

User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by MargaritaMc » Sun Mar 31, 2013 8:58 pm

Borc wrote:
K1NS wrote:
What's up with those green lights?
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS I DO NOT KNOW?!
I saw this too. It makes me SO curious. Maybe something in the atmosphere in that region? I find that to be most likely. Maybe? Or maybe that city REALLY likes the color green.
Oh, I do empathise! Every time I find out something new this opens the doors to new area of things that I hadn't up until then known that I didn't know :!: :roll:

I hadn't noticed the green lights before - despite watching the video many times - and now I am also curious about what they might be!

We don't have many contributors today - all the knowledgeable regulars seem to be on vacation...
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

User avatar
owlice
Guardian of the Codes
Posts: 8406
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:18 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by owlice » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:12 pm

Or already answered on the earlier thread for this (repeated) APOD. :-D

That thread is here: http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27640

Have fun!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by MargaritaMc » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:43 pm

owlice wrote:Or already answered on the earlier thread for this (repeated) APOD. :-D

That thread is here: http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27640

Have fun!
Thank you!
On the thread you linked to, you said the green was 'airglow' - but I thought that that was more usually on the limb of the planet, like this:
Image

http://www.universetoday.com/89688/what-is-airglow/

The green lights noticed on this video are more localised.

Image

This is a night view of the centre of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala, showing Mercury-vapour lighting, that was mentioned in a post in the earlier use of this video as an Apod http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php? ... 50#p171214
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

Boomer12k
:---[===] *
Posts: 2691
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by Boomer12k » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:50 pm

WoW! That was awesome. Very inspiring for us Earthbounders to get our ACT together. Flying through and above the Aurora was just incredible. There are really no words to describe it. Maybe GLORIOUS comes close. I think if it were slower it would be more Romantic....

Thanks for this awesome video!

:---[===] *

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by neufer » Sun Mar 31, 2013 9:51 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
owlice wrote:
Or already answered on the earlier thread for this (repeated) APOD. :-D

That thread is here: http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27640

Have fun!
So the answer is really here :?: :

http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php? ... 25#p171111
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121207.html
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=79796
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21571
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by bystander » Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:19 pm

ap130331.jpg
K1NS wrote:In the opening seqence, north to south along the western coast of the Americas, there is a large patch of green lights somewhere in Central America in perhaps Guatemala or El Salvador. I looked at this video several times and saw no other green lights anywhere else in the world.

What's up with those green lights?
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

User avatar
MargaritaMc
Look to the Evenstar
Posts: 1836
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:14 pm
Location: 28°16'7"N 16°36'20"W

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by MargaritaMc » Sun Mar 31, 2013 10:36 pm

Thanks for posting the still from the video, bystander - that makes much more clear what the query is about.
M
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
&mdash; Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

User avatar
owlice
Guardian of the Codes
Posts: 8406
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:18 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by owlice » Sun Mar 31, 2013 11:20 pm

Right; I knew your query was about the mercury-vapor lights. I didn't mean to imply that I'd posted the answer to your question! (Sorry about that!) I was just letting you know the answer appeared in the thread. (My response of "airglow" was to a different question.)
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by neufer » Mon Apr 01, 2013 1:33 am

Image
owlice wrote:
Right; I knew your query was about the mercury-vapor lights. I didn't mean to imply that I'd posted the answer to your question! (Sorry about that!) I was just letting you know the answer appeared in the thread. (My response of "airglow" was to a different question.)
Our expert at "Flying Over the Earth at Night" :!:
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
owlice
Guardian of the Codes
Posts: 8406
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:18 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by owlice » Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:27 am

neufer wrote:
Image
Our expert at "Flying Over the Earth at Night" :!:
The better to sneak up on you to sink my talons in! :owl:
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

User avatar
Beyond
500 Gigaderps
Posts: 6889
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 am
Location: BEYONDER LAND

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by Beyond » Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:47 am

OUCH! I can almost feel his pain :!: :mrgreen:
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.

Doug Martin

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by Doug Martin » Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:01 pm

iN A COUPLE OF SEQUENCES STARLIGHT DOTS ARE MOVING COUNTER TO THE SKY-SCAPE. WHAT'S THAT?

User avatar
geckzilla
Ocular Digitator
Posts: 9180
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:42 pm
Location: Modesto, CA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by geckzilla » Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:16 pm

Doug, if you zoom in reeeeally close and use a magnifying glass... well, to me, it looks like a capslock key.

(Artificial satellites.)
Just call me "geck" because "zilla" is like a last name.

cielobuio

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by cielobuio » Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:26 am

The real problem, light pollution, is hidden behind the 'beauty' of this movie. This 'spectacle' of city lights for few astronauts on ISS prevents to billions of people to see the starry night from Earth.
Fabio Falchi
www.cielobuio.org

Just Gene

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by Just Gene » Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:17 am

It's a nice video, but the explanation note author was either disingenuous or deceived by the video processing that went into it. "The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth". That does take place in the first and last sequence, but the other "dawns" were faked, and the first and last were enhanced. Check out the original video of 9/27/2011 (the first sequence) to see what an unadulterated dawn looks like: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110927.html

User avatar
geckzilla
Ocular Digitator
Posts: 9180
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:42 pm
Location: Modesto, CA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Flying Over the Earth at Night (2013 Mar 31)

Post by geckzilla » Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:29 am

The blur and bloom is just a transition effect, Gene. I don't think any dawns were intended to be faked and I don't think the editor intended to deceive anyone (nor was he confused) with the statement. Just a little sloppy with the wording. It happens.
Just call me "geck" because "zilla" is like a last name.

Post Reply