airglow

American  

[air-gloh] / ˈɛərˌgloʊ /

noun

1. a dim light from the upper atmosphere caused by emissions from atoms and molecules ionized by solar radiation: observed at night nightglow, during the day dayglow, and at twilight twilight glow, with each having slightly different characteristics.

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airglow British  

/ ˈɛəˌɡləʊ /

noun

1. the faint light from the upper atmosphere in the night sky, esp in low latitudes

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airglow Scientific  

/ âr′glō′ /

1. A faint photochemical luminescence in the upper atmosphere caused by the collision of x-rays and charged particles from the Sun with atoms and molecules, especially of oxygen, sodium, and the hydroxyl radical (OH). Airglow is strongest over low and middle latitudes.

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Etymology

Origin of airglow

First recorded in 1950–55; air ¹ + glow

Example Sentences

In this case, they became visible through a phenomenon known as airglow in the mesosphere.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

“There were clouds everywhere. The airglow is emitting upward, and sometimes it makes this really diffuse, widespread veil of light,” Miller explains.

From Scientific American • Jul. 23, 2022

Editing Editing your astrophotos is important for bringing out the faint details of the night sky, such as airglow.

From The Verge • Jan. 26, 2022

A variable airglow would be difficult to subtract out.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 28, 2021

Astronauts John Glenn and Scott Carpenter both looked down on the airglow layer from their soaring Mercury capsules and found it as bright from that vantage point as the earth under a quarter moon.

From Time Magazine Archive