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This enhanced all-sky video shows the dynamic of airglow in the dark southern sky. The Milky Way and the fainter band of the Zodiacal Light also appear in the video. The red (beginning and end of the night) and green (near midnight) airglow change the background sky color in this view, shows how dramatically the sky color can be different even during a single night. The glow is more easily seen near the horizon and it keeps the night sky from ever being completely dark or entirely black in color. Also note the banded airglow and wave-like motion which is known as Atmospheric Gravity Waves (not to be mistaken with Gravitational Wave in Physics). Airglow is natural emission of the Earth upper atmosphere (~100km high) which is usually faint (in the visible light) and colorless to the eyes. It is due to chemiluminescence, the production of light in a chemical reaction, and found around the globe. The chemical energy is provided by the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet radiation.

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