Earth in Far-Ultraviolet: New NASA Image Captures Stunning Glow of Our Planet
January 13, 2025
Washington, D.C. – NASA has released a mesmerizing new image of Earth captured in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) wavelength range. The image, taken by the agency’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, provides a unique perspective on our planet, revealing the faint emissions of atoms and molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The FUV image depicts Earth as a glowing orb, with its continents and oceans clearly visible. The brightest regions correspond to areas where the atmosphere is the thinnest, such as over the poles and the equatorial regions. The image also shows the aurora borealis and aurora australis, which take the form of two faint arcs of light in the north and south, respectively.
“This image is truly a thing of beauty,” said Dr. Patricia Reiff, chief scientist for the Chandra X-ray Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. “It gives us a glimpse of Earth’s atmosphere in a way that we’ve never seen before, and it highlights the dynamic processes that are constantly taking place in our planet’s protective shield.”
The FUV wavelength range is invisible to the human eye, and it requires special instruments to detect. Fortunately, orbital observatories like Chandra can capture images in this wavelength range, allowing scientists to study phenomena such as the aurora borealis, the ionosphere, and extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
The new FUV image of Earth was taken on January 1, 2025, as Chandra was passing by our planet on its way to another observation target. The observatory’s Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) instrument captured the image in a single exposure of 10 minutes.
Scientists are still studying the image and its implications. However, they believe that it can provide valuable insights into the behavior of Earth’s upper atmosphere and its interactions with the Sun. The image may also help scientists better understand the effects of climate change on our planet’s atmosphere.
“This image is a reminder of the incredible power of space exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “It’s not just about discovering new worlds out there, but also about understanding our own planet in a new and profound way.”
The new FUV image of Earth is available online at NASA’s Image and Video Library: bit.ly/nasa-earth-fuv
Additional Information:
- The resolution of the FUV image is 0.1 arcseconds per pixel.
- The image covers a wavelength range of 130-170 Angstroms.
- Chandra’s ACIS instrument is sensitive to X-rays and FUV radiation.
- The aurora borealis and aurora australis are caused by the interaction of charged particles from the Sun with Earth’s magnetic field.
- Earth’s ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere that is ionized by radiation from the Sun.
- Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Sun can be harmful to humans and other living organisms.
Earth in Far-Ultraviolet
The AI has provided us with the news.
I’ve asked Google Gemini the following question, and here’s its response.
NASA a new article on 2025-01-13 20:04 titled “Earth in Far-Ultraviolet”. Please write a detailed article on this news item, including any relevant information. Answers should be in English.
39