Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Views from "Out of This World" (a Non-Economic Diversion)

If you need a break from money supply, jobs, Cyprus, France, Europe in general, or housing (who doesn't) I have a wonderful visual diversion that is literally "out of this world".

You can Watch the Aurora Borealis from an International Space Station that captures otherworldly famous lights.
The best time to see the aurora borealis here on Earth is during the coldest and darkest nights of the year, so people in the Northern Hemisphere still have a few more nights of ideal viewing. However, here on Earth we only get to see half the show. But luckily for us, the folks orbiting 240 miles above us on the International Space Station have been documenting what we’ve been missing. The aurora borealis and its southern sister, the aurora australis, are just as breathtaking from above, and the astronauts get a clear view any time of year. These atmospheric light shows are a product of charged particles interacting with the Earth’s magnetic sphere and are often tied to solar wind or other sun surface activity. Whichever way you look at it, the phenomenon is surreal. Check out this preternatural light show below.
Here are a couple of images. Click on the above link to see the rest.



A southern aurora captured from the International Space Station as it zipped by at 17,239.2 mph. Image by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.



This striking aurora ribbon, snapped over the Indian Ocean, was likely caused by a major sun spot event. Image by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com