airglow

noun

air·​glow ˈer-ˌglō 

: light that is observed especially during the night, that originates in the high atmosphere of a planet (such as the earth), and that is associated with photochemical reactions of gases caused by solar radiation

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

This is, in fact, a phenomenon known as airglow. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 Dec. 2019

Alex took the original astronaut pictures and enhanced them somewhat to bring out the faint airglow. —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2012

There is also a glowing halo of oxygen in the planet's atmosphere called airglow, a type of light that also exists in Earth's atmosphere. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Feb. 2022

While the clouds and airglow features changed, the swoosh remained. —Steven D. Miller, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2021

In order for those faint galaxies to stand out from the sky’s airglow, astronomers already needed long exposures on the biggest telescopes in the darkest sites available. —Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, 28 Mar. 2021

Atmospheric airglow, and red and green aurorae from atomic oxygen. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2016

As Danny Lewis reported for Smithsonian magazine in 2016, scientists estimate that airglow is about one billion times fainter than sunlight. —Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2020

By studying Mars’ airglow, scientists hope to learn more about its atmosphere. —Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 June 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above