NASA Asks What are the “Mysterious Green Patches on the Sky”: Airglow Phenomenon Photography?

This video presents “Hopewell Rocks perseid meteor shower time lapse.”

• Kevin Snair filmed perseid meteor shower time lapse at enchanting Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Canada from before twilight August 11 to shortly after 3:00 am August 12.
• The green ‘clouds’  are visible in this silent video at 25 sec. to 28 sec. interval.

NASA astronomers are asking viewers what are the “Mysterious Green Patches on the Sky,” as they ponder the significance of these green images.

Snair explained that the green ‘clouds’ result from airglow phenomenon which is very weak emission of light by Earth’s atmosphere so that the night sky is never completely dark.

Another airglow phenomenon was captured on 15 September 2011 in the following photograph featuring

• the International Space Station’s Cupola and crew activity inside it,
• other hardware belonging to the station,
• city lights on Earth at night
• and airglow was captured by one of the Expedition 28 crew members using a NIKON D3S as a low-light camera.
  • The major urban area on the coast is Brisbane, Australia.
  • The station was passing over an area southwest of Canberra.
  • Source http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-28/html/iss028e050185.html .

NASA also included the following possible explanations for the mysterious green patches:

• aurora,
• lighting from an artificial  or  natural source,
• or something completely different.

Perhaps DC comics depiction of green Martians as “green-skinned extraterrestrial humanoids” from the planet Mars can finally have substantial scientific support that this green emanation is the Martians’ aura signalling their fly by visits to Earth.

What do you think the green patches are?

NASA invites you to join the converstaion to solve this mystery by providing your insight into what might be causing this phenomenon.