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In a post called "Earth from Space - beautiful images" I linked to a beautiful image taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst on board the ISS. He, along with the rest of Expedition 40, launched to the station at the end of March.

But he's not the only photographer around! For here is a composite image of the ISS going over Darmstadt a few days ago with Expedition 40 on board. Darmstadt is where the Space Operations Center for the European Space Agency (ESA) is located. Look at the starry sky! I'm sure you can pick out the Big Dipper (Plough). Cygnus the Swan is also there, containing the asterism of the Northern Cross. Low in the sky is also the "W" of Cassiopeia.

Last edited by Mona - Astronomy; 06/23/14 02:01 PM.
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It's the season for noctilucent clouds, though I admit that I haven't seen any. When they're visible, it's during the summer months between about 50-70 degrees north or south, soon after sunset. They're a very high layer of ice crystals which we can't normally see, but in the right circumstances, the Sun lights them up from below the horizon.

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In late spring and summer, if you're somewhere between 50° to 70° north (or south) of the equator, you might be fortunate to see an eerily beautiful sight, noctilucent clouds. They're Earth's highest clouds, forming high in the atmosphere near the edge of space, and are sometimes seen in the hours after sunset. This picture was taken recently in Holland.

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Since I keep finding pictures of them, you may be starting to think that noctilucent clouds are very common. Not so. I've only ever seen them once and that wasn't as impressive as the pictures I put up.

And here are some more. One is a splendid video of noctilucent clouds over London. The second is a beautiful photo taken in the Netherlands.

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Soo cool <3

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You'd have to have been in Russia to see this particular sight. It's a fabulous sunrise at the Baikonur cosmodrome where a Soyuz rocket was being prepared to send Expedition 41 to the International Space Station last week.

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This is an absolutely mind-boggling cloud called a Fallstreak hole or hole punch cloud. It was seen recently in Korumburra, Victoria in Australia. I've never seen anything like it before, even in a photograph.

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Unfortunately, you usually have to be quite far to the north or south to see an aurora. (Though sometimes during a solar storm the mid-latitudes get lucky too.)

This photograph was taken yesterday night in northern Norway. It was apparently a great night of superb aurorae in the Arctic Circle. Aurorae, of course, are the delightful outcome of particles from the Sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Appropriately, the dish in the picture belongs to EISCAT which studies interactions between Earth and Sun. You can also see the Milky Way.

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Spaceweather.com put up this picture a few days ago. It shows the most absolutely amazing unbelievably colored clouds imaginable. I have certainly never seen anything like it. They're called mother of pearl clouds, and their beautiful colors come from sunlight shining through ice crystals.

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I've put up pictures of sun dogs and a sun halo before, but this magnificent photograph is full of halo effects. It was taken last week in New Mexico. It's really amazing what beautiful things can happen when you mix sunlight and ice crystals.

If you're interested in what each of these effects is called, here is a labelled version of the picture.

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