Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Atmospheric Emission Layers according to Photographic Observations from the International Space Station

  • Published:
Geomagnetism and Aeronomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract—

Photographic and video observations made by astronaut Thomas Pesquet (European Space Agency) during the 51st expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) contain a series of color images of the emission and scattering layers of the Earth’s atmosphere under night and twilight conditions. The stars of various constellations can be clearly seen in the atmosphere images above the limb of the Earth. This makes it possible to accurately determine the geometric parameters of the emission layers and the conditions of their illumination by the Sun. A model is proposed to explain the blue glow of the thin atmospheric layer near the horizon resulting from the Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in the lower layers of the atmosphere.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Allen, C.W., Astrophysical Quantities, London: Athlone Press, 1973; Moscow: Mir, 1977.

  2. Koutchmy, S. and Nikolsky, G.M., The night sky from Salyut 7, Sky & Telesc., 1983, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 23–25.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lazarev, A.I., Kovalenok, V.V., Ivanchenkov, A.S., and Avakyan, S.V., Atmosfera Zemli iz “Salyut-6”. Rossiya (The Earth’s Atmosphere from Salyut-6. Russia), Leningrad: Gidrometeoizdat, 1981.

  4. Nikol’skii, G.M., Platov, Yu.V., Belmahdi, M., Butov, V.V., Vanyarkha, E.S., Dzhanibekov, V.A., Chretien, J.-L., and Koutchmy, S., Stratospheric luminescence observed on the Salyut-7 orbital station, Issled. Zemli Kosmosa, 1987, no. 6, pp. 3–8.

  5. Platov, Yu.V., Ivanov-Kholodnyi, G.S., Platova, G.M., Den, O.G., and Vanyarkha, E.S., Nonuniform structure of emission layers of the ionosphere according to photographic observations onboard the Salyut-7 orbital station, Kosm. Issled., 1989, vol. 27, pp. 739–747.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Semenov, A.I. and Platov, Yu.V., Self glow of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, in Entsiklopediya nizkotemperaturnoi plazmy (Encyclopedia of Low-Temperature Plasma), vols. 1–3: Ionosfernaya plazma (Ionospheric Plasma), 2008, pp. 164–175.

  7. Shefov, N.N., Semenov, A.I., and Khomich, V.Yu., Izluchenie verkhnei atmosfery – indikator ee struktury i dinamiki (Airglow of the Upper Atmosphere: An Indicator of Its Structure and Dynamics), Moscow: GEOS, 2006.

  8. Stellmacher, G. and Koutchmy, S., Study of low dispersion spectra: Observation of weak low excitation emission lines in corona, Astron. Astrophys., 1974, vol. 35, pp. 43–48.

    Google Scholar 

  9. S1. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thom_astro/34077040140/ in/album-72157677847721745y.

  10. S2. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thom_astro/34335832025/ in/photostream/.

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors consider it a pleasant duty to Express their gratitude to the observers, and especially T. Peske from ESA and CNES, who received many excellent digital images of the atmosphere near the earth’s horizon in twilight and night conditions during 51 expeditions to the ISS.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Yu. V. Platov

  2. Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France

    S. Koutchmy

  3. Institute of Applied Geophysics, Moscow, Russia

    S. Sh. Nikolayshvili

Authors
  1. Yu. V. Platov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. Koutchmy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Sh. Nikolayshvili
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yu. V. Platov, S. Koutchmy or S. Sh. Nikolayshvili.

Additional information

Translated by O. Pismenov

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Platov, Y.V., Koutchmy, S. & Nikolayshvili, S.S. Atmospheric Emission Layers according to Photographic Observations from the International Space Station. Geomagn. Aeron. 59, 351–355 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793219030113

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793219030113

Search

Navigation