Each day we feature a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. In this breathtaking view, the Sun is just visible peaking over towering anvil shaped storm clouds whose silhouetted tops mark the upper boundary of the troposphere, the lowest layer of planet Earth's atmosphere . Sunlight filtering through suspended dust causes this dense layer of air to appear red. In contrast, the blue stripe marks the stratosphere, the tenuous upper atmosphere, which preferentially scatters blue light.
Specific rights apply.