Exploring the Ionosphere: The View from GOLD
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- Visualizations by:
- Tom Bridgman
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- Scientific consulting by:
- Jeff Klenzing
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- Produced by:
- Genna Duberstein
- View full credits
A view of Earth from the point-of-view of the GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk) instrument in geostationary orbit. This mission will conduct measurements of ionospheric composition to better understand the connection between space weather and its terrestrial impacts.
ICON (Ionospheric Connections Explorer) orbits much closer to Earth. The colors over Earth represent model data from the IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) model of the density of the singly-ionized oxygen atom at an altitude of 350 kilometers. Red represents high density. The ion density is enhanced above and below the geomagnetic equator (not perfectly aligned with the geographic equator) on the dayside due to the ionizing effects of solar ultraviolet radiation combined with the effects of high-altitude winds and the geomagnetic field. This ion density decreases at night as the ions recombine with free electrons. At the limb of Earth, we present a cross-sectional profile of the density enhancement.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Visualizer
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) [Lead]
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Writer
- Sarah Frazier (SGT)
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Scientists
- Jeff Klenzing (None) [Lead]
- Sarah L. Jones (NASA/GSFC)
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Producer
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET Systems, Inc.) [Lead]
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Technical support
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Datasets used in this visualization
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IRI 2016 (International Reference Ionosphere)
ID: 944
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.
Related Pages
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ID: 4737 Visualization
Observing Earth's Ionosphere with GOLD
Read moreA visualization of GOLD data observing Earth's ionosphere in ultraviolet light around the wavelength of an atomic oxygen emission. || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.000267_print.jpg (1024x576) [70.4 KB] || GOLD_March2019_animated.gif (1042x586) [5.5 MB] || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.000267_searchweb.png (320x180) [72.3 KB] || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.000267_thm.png (80x40) [5.4 KB] || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S.HD1080i_p10.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.0 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/basic/ (1920x1080) [32.0 KB] || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S.HD1080i_p10.webm (1920x1080) [3.1 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/basic/ (3840x2160) [32.0 KB] || GOLDData201903.GOLDview_O5S_2160p10.mp4 (3840x2160) [72.0 MB] ||
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ID: 12825 Infographic
GOLD Resources
Read moreThe Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, or GOLD, mission is designed to explore the nearest reaches of space. Capturing never-before-seen images of Earth’s upper atmosphere, GOLD explores in unprecedented detail our space environment — which is home to astronauts, radio signals used to guide airplanes and ships, as well as satellites that provide communications and GPS systems. The more we know about the fundamental physics of this region of space, the more we can protect our assets there.Gathering observations from geostationary orbit above the Western Hemisphere, GOLD measures the temperature and composition of neutral gases in Earth’s thermosphere. This part of the atmosphere co-mingles with the ionosphere, which is made up of charged particles. Both the Sun from above and terrestrial weather from below can change the types, numbers, and characteristics of the particles found here — and GOLD helps track those changes.Activity in this region is responsible for a variety of key space weather events. GOLD scientists are particularly interested in the cause of dense, unpredictable bubbles of charged gas that appear over the equator and tropics, sometimes causing communication problems. As we discover the very nature of the Sun-Earth interaction in this region, the mission could ultimately lead to ways to improve forecasts of such space weather and mitigate its effects. ||
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ID: 4610 Visualization
GOLD: Instrument Scanning Coverage
Read moreVisualization of GOLD orbiting Earth with image scanning. This version presents the singly-ionized oxygen density from the IRI model. || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_Oion.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.001400_print.jpg (1024x576) [90.3 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_Oion.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.001400_searchweb.png (320x180) [79.2 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_Oion.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.001400_thm.png (80x40) [6.1 KB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/ (1920x1080) [512.0 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview4_Oion.HD1080i_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [38.5 MB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview4_Oion.HD1080i_p30.webm (1920x1080) [10.0 MB] ||
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ID: 12817 Produced Video
![Complete transcript available.Music credits: 'Faint Glimmer' by Andrew John Skeet [PRS], Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS], 'Ocean Spirals' by Andrew John Skeet [PRS], Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS] from Killer Tracks.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a012800/a012817/GOLDOverview_YouTube.00001_print.jpg)
Why NASA Is Exploring The Edge Of Our Planet
Read moreThe Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, or GOLD, instrument launches aboard a commercial communications satellite in January 2018 to inspect the dynamic intermingling of space and Earth’s uppermost atmosphere. Together, GOLD and another NASA mission, Ionospheric Connection Explorer spacecraft, or ICON, will provide the most comprehensive of Earth’s upper atmosphere we’ve ever had.Above the ozone layer, the ionosphere is a part of Earth’s atmosphere where particles have been cooked into a sea of electrically-charged electrons and ions by the Sun’s radiation. The ionosphere is co-mingled with the very highest — and quite thin — layers of Earth’s neutral upper atmosphere, making this region an area that is constantly in flux undergoing the push-and-pull between Earth’s conditions and those in space. Increasingly, these layers of near-Earth space are part of the human domain, as it’s home not only to astronauts, but to radio signals used to guide airplanes and ships, and satellites that provide our communications and GPS systems. Understanding the fundamental processes that govern our upper atmosphere and ionosphere is crucial to improve situational awareness that helps protect astronauts, spacecraft and humans on the ground.GOLD, in geostationary orbit over the Western Hemisphere, will build up a full-disk view of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere every half hour, providing detailed large-scale measurements of related processes — a cadence which makes it the first mission to be able to monitor the true weather of the upper atmosphere. GOLD is also able to focus in on a tighter region and scan more quickly, to complement additional research plans as needed. ||
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ID: 4539 Visualization
Exploring Earth's Ionosphere: Limb view with approach
Read moreOxygen ion enhancements at 350km altitude, ionospheric winds at altitudes of 100 km (white) and 350 km (violet) and the low-latitude geomagnetic field. || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.000400_print.jpg (1024x576) [92.1 KB] || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.000400_searchweb.png (320x180) [58.1 KB] || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.HD1080i.000400_thm.png (80x40) [4.9 KB] || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.HD1080i_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [89.8 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/OionHwindIGRF/ (1920x1080) [256.0 KB] || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.HD1080i_p30.webm (1920x1080) [8.6 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/OionHwindIGRF/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || IRIDaily.zoom2limb_OionHwindIGRF.2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [274.0 MB] ||
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ID: 4527 Visualization
ICON and GOLD: Instrument Scanning Coverage
Read moreVisualization of ICON and GOLD orbiting Earth with image scanning. This version presents several geospace models, including the singly-ionized oxygen density, the low-latitude geomagnetic field, and the high-altitude winds (100km and 350km altitudes). || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.001140_print.jpg (1024x576) [130.5 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.001140_searchweb.png (320x180) [85.0 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.001140_thm.png (80x40) [5.9 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF.HD1080i_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [82.0 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF/ (1920x1080) [512.0 KB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF.HD1080i_p30.webm (1920x1080) [7.6 MB] || IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [258.1 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/IRIGOLDscan.GOLDview3_OionHwindIGRF/ (3840x2160) [512.0 KB] ||
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ID: 4498 Visualization
ICON and GOLD: Exploring the Interface to Space
Read moreA basic view of the orbits for ICON (Ionospheric Connections Explorer) and GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk). These missions will conduct measurements of ionospheric composition, ionization, and winds to better understand the connection between space weather and its terrestrial impacts.In this visualization, we present GOLD (in geostationary orbit around Earth) and ICON (in low Earth orbit). The colors over Earth represent model data from the IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) model of the density of the singly-ionized oxygen atom at an altitude of 350 kilometers. Red represents high density. The ion density is enhanced above and below the geomagnetic equator (not perfectly aligned with the geographic equator) on the dayside due to the ionizing effects of solar ultraviolet radiation combined with the effects of high-altitude winds and the geomagnetic field. ||
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ID: 4504 Visualization
Exploring the Ionosphere: The Dayside Ionosphere
Read moreA view of the singly-ionizing oxygen atom on the dayside of Earth. This represents the variation of the enhancments due to variation in the geomagnetic field. This version interpolates the IRI model to a higher time cadence for a smoother animation. || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.clockSlate_CRTT.UHD3840.001001_print.jpg (1024x576) [58.1 KB] || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.IRIinterp.HD1080i_p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [50.1 MB] || frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/IRI.interpolated/ (1920x1080) [512.0 KB] || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.IRIinterp.HD1080i_p30.webm (1920x1080) [17.1 MB] || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.IRIinterp.UHD3840_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [72.7 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/IRI.interpolated/ (3840x2160) [512.0 KB] || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.IRIinterp_4504.key [51.9 MB] || IRIDaily.sunward_O+ion.IRIinterp_4504.pptx [51.6 MB] ||
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ID: 12947 Produced Video
Launching an ICON
Read moreThe Ionospheric Connection Explorer will explore the mysteries of where Earth meets space. || STORYCOVER_ICON_Image_Portrait16x9_1024x576.jpg (1024x576) [187.1 KB] || STORYCOVER_ICON_Image_Portrait16x9.jpg (2550x1434) [637.0 KB] || STORYCOVER_NEW_ICON_Image_Portrait.jpg (2550x3300) [707.1 KB] || STORYCOVER_ICON_Image_Portrait16x9_searchweb.png (320x180) [82.4 KB] || STORYCOVER_ICON_Image_Portrait16x9_thm.png (80x40) [5.7 KB] ||
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