 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 EPOD 20th - High Altitude Balloon Burst

   September 07, 2020

    BalloonBurst2 (7)
   We’re celebrating 20 years of Earth Science Picture of the Day during
   the month of September! Today’s photo features a popular EPOD from the
   past. Thanks to all of our followers (on the blog, Facebook, Instagram
   and Twitter) for supporting us. Thanks also to all of you who’ve
   submitted your photos. We’re most appreciative. This EPOD was
   originally published September 19, 2013.

   Photographer:  Kostas Tamateas
   Summary Author:  Kostas Tamateas
    September 2013 Viewer's Choice The photo above shows the remains of
   a  high altitude balloon just after it burst far above the
    Thessalian plain of northern Greece. This was Greece's first
    suborbital photography project. The project that launched the
   balloon is referred to as SlaRos (Tesla, Ikaros); the mission is called
   Stratonauts.  Mount Olympus is beneath the clouds at top left – to
   the left of the balloon is the  Aegean Sea.
   The balloon reached an altitude of 111,296 ft (33, 923 m) before
   bursting. All such high altitude balloons burst when the
    atmospheric air pressure is too low to contain the expanding volume
   of the gas within the balloon. This balloon’s capsule was retrieved
   intact and will be re-used for a future launch. Note that since there
   are too few  air molecules at altitudes above about 60,000 ft
   (18,288 m) to effectively  scatter sunlight, the sky appears
   essentially black. Photo taken at 12:29 UTC on August 26, 2013.
   Photo Details: The picture is a 1280 x 720 frame from a High
   Definition, GoPro Hero3 camera, configured to 50 fps (frames per
   second).
     * Thessalian plain, Greece Coordinates:  39.236935,  22.195804

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Atmospheric Effects Links

     *  Atmospheric Optics
     *  Color and Light in Nature
     *  The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
     *  Refraction Index
     *  Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
     *  What is a Rainbow?

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   Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu
 
