Images

Polar Ionospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment (PIXIE) -- May 11, 1999
X ray images of the North Pole reveal the "polar rain" of electrons that lit up Earth's upper atmosphere over the North Pole. Credit: Lockheed Martin/NASA


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Polar's Visible Imaging System [also in High-Resolution]
This pair of images in visible light compares the northern auroral regions on May 11, 1999, and a more typical day on November 13, 1999. Credit: University of Iowa/NASA


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Data Visualization during the "polar rain"
Data visualization of the X ray emissions over the North Pole during the "polar rain" of electrons on May 11, 1999. The emissions were detected by the PIXIE instrument on NASA's Polar spacecraft.


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Animation: The Day the Solar Wind Disappeared (9.4MB)
As the solar wind dissipates on May 11, 1999, the magnetosphere and bow shock around Earth expand to five times their normal size. The aurora, which usually forms ovals around Earth's poles, fills in over the northern polar cap. Credit: NASA -- Created by AlliedSignal, MaxQ Digital Group




Computer Model: Interaction of the Solar Wind and Magnetosphere (1.7MB)
A computer model driven by science data shows Earth's bow shock -- the leading, colored edge to the left -- stretching out toward the Sun as solar wind density drops. The magnetosphere (gray shading) changes from a windsock shape to a dipole. Credit: University of Maryland Advanced Visualization Laboratory/NASA


Movie: SOHO's View of the Sun (3.2MB)
Extreme ultraviolet images of the Sun from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) revealed nothing unusual during the interval from May 9-11, 1999. Credit: European Space Agency/NASA