Astronomy Picture of the Day
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
professional astronomer.
2018 October 28
[2]
Ultraviolet Earth from an Observatory on the Moon
Image Credit: G. Carruthers [3] (NRL [4] ) et al., Far UV Camera [5] , Apollo
16 [6] , NASA [7]
Explanation: Which planet is this? Earth [8] . The featured [9] false color
picture [10] shows how the Earth shines in ultraviolet [11] (UV) light. The
image is historic because it was taken from the surface of the Moon [12] by
humanity's first lunar observatory [13] . (Another is operating now [14] .)
Although very little UV light [15] is transmitted through the Earth's
atmosphere, what sunlight does make it through might cause a sunburn [16] .
The part of the Earth facing the Sun [17] reflects much UV light, but perhaps
more interesting is the side facing away from the Sun. Here bands of UV
emission [18] are the result of auroras [19] and are caused by charged
particles [20] expelled by the Sun. Other planets showing auroras in the UV
include Mars [21] , Saturn [22] , Jupiter [23] , and Uranus [24] .
Tomorrow's picture: shelled galaxy
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [36] (MTU [37] ) & Jerry Bonnell [38]
(UMCP [39] )
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [40] .
NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [41]
A service of: ASD [42] at NASA [43] / GSFC [44]
& Michigan Tech. U. [45]
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Site notes:
[1] archivepix.html
[2] image/1810/EarthUV_Apollo16_1719.jpg
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Robert_C...
[4] https://www.nrl.navy.mil/
[5]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/
looking-back-dr-george-carruthers-and-apollo-16-far-ultraviolet-
cameraspectrograph
[6] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/mis...
[7] https://www.nasa.gov/
[8] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/ov...
[9]
https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/a...
[10]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Earth_in_ultraviolet_from_the_Moon_(S72-40821).jpg
[11] https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwa...
[12]
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/...
why-dont-we-put-a-space-telescope-on-the-moon/
[13]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/
looking-back-dr-george-carruthers-and-apollo-16-far-ultraviolet-
cameraspectrograph
[14]
http://english.nao.cas.cn/Research2015/rp2015...
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet
[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunburn
[17] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun...
[18] http://solar-center.stanford.edu/about/uvligh...
[19] ap171210.html
[20] http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/Intro...
[21] ap171006.html
[22] ap180903.html
[23] ap160711.html
[24]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/20...
[25] ap181027.html
[26] archivepix.html
[27] lib/apsubmit2015.html
[28] lib/aptree.html
[29] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apo...
[30] calendar/allyears.html
[31] /apod.rss
[32] lib/edlinks.html
[33] lib/about_apod.html
[34] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?dat...
[35] ap181029.html
[36] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
[37] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
[38] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnel...
[39] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
[40] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
[41] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Priv...
[42] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
[43] https://www.nasa.gov/
[44] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
[45] http://www.mtu.edu/
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