![]() For a summary of the discoveries that IMAGE has made possible, see IMAGE Discovers. IMAGE has shown scientists what sort of changes the magnetic field undertakes as it diverts solar winds from the Earth. Without the shield the magnetic field provides, the upper atmosphere would evaporate into space under the influence of solar winds. Since 2000, IMAGE has provided insight into how the Earth’s powerful magnetic field protects the planet from solar winds. Designed to operate for two years, IMAGE sent its last data to Earth in December 2005 after a highly successful five-year mission. The satellite’s mission was to collect data that would allow scientists to study the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s magnetic field for the first time. Though scientists knew that the aurora were caused by charged particles from the Sun and their interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field, they had no way to measure the interaction until NASA launched the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) satellite in 2000. As the particles sink into the atmosphere, they collide with oxygen and nitrogen, lighting the sky with Nature’s version of neon lights, the aurora. Changes to the magnetic field release fast-moving particles, which flow with charged particles from the Sun towards the center of the “doughnut” at the Earth’s poles. The amount of distortion changes when solar storms, such as the flare on September 7, send stronger winds towards the Earth. In reality, the nearly constant solar winds flatten the space side of the “doughnut” into a long tail. Without buffeting from the solar wind (charged particles like protons and electrons that are ejected from the Sun), the Earth’s magnetic field would look something like a plump doughnut, with the North and South poles forming the slender hole in the center. Like all solar storms, the September storm distorted the shape of the magnetic field that surrounds the Earth. From the Earth’s surface, the ring would appear as a curtain of light shimmering across the night sky. The IMAGE observations of the aurora are overlaid onto NASA’s satellite-based Blue Marble image. The ring of light that the solar storm generated over Antarctica glows green in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, shown in this image. The IMAGE satellite captured this view of the aurora australis (southern lights) on September 11, 2005, four days after a record-setting solar flare sent plasma-an ionized gas of protons and electrons-flying towards the Earth. The imaging device, whichis of the same design as the camera used to film Peter Jackson's TheHobbit trilogy, has been put togood use bringing the public the highest resolution views oflow-Earth orbit to date.From space, the aurora is a crown of light that circles each of Earth’s poles. In January 2015, the crewof the ISS took receipt of a RED Epic Dragon camera. Four space station astronauts are back on Earth after a quick SpaceX flight home. With the successful insertion of NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory(DSCOVR) into its operational orbit in February 2015, fresh shots of the full disk of our planet are readily available for the first time in the history of our young species, with new images uploaded every day. They grant a rare sense of perspective, serving asa reminder that we are in the grand scheme is things a very smallpart of a larger universe.Įarth imagery has takena number of sizeable leaps forward in recent years. The video serves as a reminder of thecomplex interactions constantly taking place between Earth'satmosphere and the relentless stream of particles emanating from ourSun.īeyond the obviousscientific applications of Earth imagery, stunning vistas of our planet takenfrom space have become a regular feature for NASA's impressive publicoutreach program. NASA has released astunning time-lapse video of Earth as seen in 4K quality from theInternational Space Station.
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