Atmospheric

Words by David Malin: TWAN-style photography not only reveals the beauty of the night illuminated by the stars and the moon, but also the glowing colors of the air itself. At their brightest they are seen as the aurorae (featured in a separate gallery). At their faintest, green and red ripples and waves occur, 100 km high, at the top of atmosphere. Although they are invisible to the eye, they have been known for many years, but they can only imaged in color with modern digital cameras. At much lower altitudes, ice crystals, water droplets and even pollen grains produce their own spectacular effects, hinting at the wide variety way the atmosphere creates light and interacts with it.