APOD: 2021 July 24 - The Edge of Space

Thank you my friend Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for Saturday, July, 24, 2021 entitled "The Edge of Space."

Excellent image. Hyperbole and hubris of man to refer to the outer boundary of teh atmosphere of earth that protects us from much harmful radiation, and disintegrates, demolishes and defangs the impact of falling space debris - manmade and meteorites and larger space phenomena.

In a two dimensional depiction of the outer bound of atmosphere, the boundary could appear to be an edge. However, since the outer bound of atmosphere of the earth is at least a four dimensional [length depth, width and time] with no gaps, a potential analogy could be the viewpoint inside a water melon or other oblong melon with a thick crust :-)

By God's grace, HE designed the planet we call earth to be a perfect place for fauna and flora to propagate including mankind. Being located on an outer ring of the Milky Way galaxy, enables us to see vast portions of space from the relative safety of the planet.

Image: The Edge of Space - Image Credit & Copyright - Ralf Rohner

APOD Background
"Explanation: Where does space begin? For purposes of spaceflight some would say at the Karman line, currently defined as an altitude of 100 kilometers (60 miles). Others might place a line 80 kilometers (50 miles) above Earth's mean sea level. But there is no sharp physical boundary that marks the end of atmosphere and the beginning of space. In fact, the Karman line itself is near the transition between the upper mesophere and lower thermosphere. Night shining or noctilucent clouds are high-latitude summer apparitions formed at altitudes near the top of the mesophere, up to 80 kilometers or so, also known as polar mesopheric clouds. Auroral bands of the northern (and southern) lights caused by energetic particles exciting atoms in the thermosphere can extend above 80 kilometers to over 600 kilometers altitude. Taken from a cockpit while flying at an altitude of 10 kilometers (33,000 feet) in the realm of stratospheric aeronautics, this snapshot captures both noctilucent clouds and aurora borealis under a starry sky, looking toward planet Earth's horizon and the edge of space."

Iona ~ Edge of the World ~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPjZrEB03Yo

FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter LTC (Join to see) MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SSG Samuel Kermon SSG Franklin Briant GySgt Thomas Vick CPL Douglas Chrysler Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen GySgt Jack Wallace 1SG Steven Imerman MSgt James Clark-Rosa SGT Charlie Lee CPT (Join to see) SFC William Farrell CSM Charles Hayden SPC Matthew Lamb

Gorgeous pic to illustrate the edge of space... Good Saturday afternoon, Maj William W. 'Bill' Price !!!

Extremely colorful and totally great, gives a new meaning to God's hand in creation Maj William W. 'Bill' Price