Credit: NASA/MSFC/CXC/A.Bhardwaj & R.Els

The bright arcs in this Chandra image show low-energy X-rays (0.1 - 10 kilo electron volts) generated during auroral activity. The image - seen here superimposed on a simulated image of Earth - is from an approximately 20-minute scan during which Chandra was pointed at a fixed point in the sky while the Earth's motion carried the auroral region through the field of view. Auroras are produced by solar storms that disturb Earth's magnetic field and accelerate electrons which speed along the magnetic field into the polar regions. There the electrons collide with atoms high in Earth's atmosphere and emit X-rays.

Provider: Chandra X-ray Observatory

Image Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2005/earth/

Curator: Chandra X-ray Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA

Image Use Policy: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/image_use.html