APOD 1.2

Airglow Ripples Over Tibet

After a harsh and violent storm in China, the sky appeared to be in colorful ripples mixed with thousands of stars.  This was possible because of atmospheric gravity waves which APOD defined as "waves of alternating air pressure that can grow with height as the air thins".  I decided to pick this specific astronomical find due to the fascinating color combinations - it's so uncommon and intriguing.  Additionally, the fact that the sky was so clear and vast is extremely appealing and gives the image much more of an impact on the viewer.  Comparing this phenomenon to the Rosetta Nebula from my last post, it's interesting how so many different colors and combinations are possible - and that it's possible to view them from our planet. The Rosetta Nebula strictly had hues of red, whereas this find includes greens, purples, oranges, blues, etc.

After searching this subject on the internet, I found another image from the same night:


The method in which this image was taken almost gives it a bulls-eye effect mixed with a fish eye effect.  Hopefully someday I'll be able to view something even remotely close to this.

Godspeed,
Melanie