Watch this stunning aurora unfold from 257 miles above Earth
By
Trevor Mogg
NASA
Stunning footage from the International Space Station (ISS) shows a glorious-looking aurora shimmering above our planet.
Captured last month and shared by the ISS on X over the weekend, the footage (below) begins with a faint green tinge on Earth’s horizon as seen from the space station some 257 miles up. But as the video continues, the green tinge develops into something far more spectacular, all against a gorgeous star-filled backdrop.
“The International Space Station soars above an aurora blanketing the Earth underneath a starry sky before orbiting into a sunrise 257 miles above Quebec, Canada, on October 30, 2024,” NASA said in a message accompanying the 60-second video.
The International Space Station soars above an aurora blanketing the Earth underneath a starry sky before orbiting into a sunrise 257 miles above Quebec, Canada, on Oct. 30, 2024. pic.twitter.com/fqp7tu57CZ
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 16, 2024
Aurora, which are caused by the interaction of solar wind with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, are a common sight for astronauts aboard the ISS, especially during periods of heightened solar activity.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who recently departed the station after a six-month stay in orbit, referred to aurora as “insane,” and shared an incredible video showing one streaming behind Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft when it was docked at the ISS earlier this year.
After witnessing aurora from the orbital outpost, another NASA astronaut, Jasmin Moghbeli, commented, “Every single time I’m amazed at how alive and beautiful our planet is,” while current ISS astronaut Don Pettit described a recent experience as, “stunning. He added: “We were not flying above the aurora, we were flying in the aurora. And it was blood red.”
Just last month, Pettit, who at 69 is NASA’s oldest serving astronaut, expressed the phenomenon in his own unique way, saying: “The sun goes burp and the atmosphere turns red.”
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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Close examination of the image (top), which was captured by recent ISS arrival Don Pettit, shows a streak of light and the Crew Dragon, with some city lights visible in the background. The five-day Polaris Dawn mission carried four non-professional astronauts and performed the first-ever privately funded spacewalk while also taking humans to the furthest point from Earth since the Apollo missions five decades ago.
Watch this orbital sunset from a Crew Dragon spacecraft way above Earth
SpaceX has just shared some stunning images and a short video showing an orbital sunset as seen from the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft way above Earth. Check out the imagery below:
https://twitter.com/PolarisProgram/status/1834040388622942438
