A NASA astronaut recently captured the imagination of many by sharing an incredible view of the Southern Lights from the International Space Station (ISS).
US Airforce major and NASA pilot Nichole Ayers embarked on her journey to the ISS on March 14 as part of NASA’s Crew-10 Mission.
Ayers is spending six months aboard the ISS with fellow astronauts Anne McClain, Takuya Onishi, Kirill Peskov, Jonny Kim, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Alexey Zubritskiy.
During their mission, the crew is engaged in scientific research, technology demonstrations, and vital station maintenance, taking over from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
One of the extraordinary benefits of being 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth is undoubtedly the spectacular views.
Aboard the ISS, astronauts witness everything from stunning lunar glimpses to incredible images of swirling storms, offering a unique perspective that alters perceptions of our planet.
Ayers recently shared captivating photos and a video of an Aurora captured on Wednesday (June 4).
On X (formerly Twitter), she posted a video with the caption: “I love looking out the side window of the cupola on the @Space_Station. This particular view is looking starboard toward Antarctica to catch the aurora – and look at the star movement! I’ve seen a lot of reds and greens in the aurora, but this one had some purple hues, as well. It’s just gorgeous.”
In another post, she shared two of her favorite photos, noting: “The Sun has been pretty active over the last week, which means some phenomenal auroras! The geomagnetic storm that lasted through this weekend did not disappoint. Our current orbit takes us right by the Southern Lights at night. Here are a few of my favorites!”
Her posts evoked a wave of astonished reactions from social media users. One person commented: “That color palette is unreal. Thanks for continuing to bring these views down to us!” Another user agreed, saying: “The best view of the Aurora is from space, thanks for sharing that view with us.”
Others expressed similar sentiments: “How breathtaking!” and “If this doesn’t make you stop scrolling…” were some of the responses, while another summarized with “Top-notch aurora views.”
The Southern Lights, also known as Aurora Australis, occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, creating stunning displays of green, pink, and even violet hues in the sky.
These phenomena occur in the same way as the Northern Lights, but are visible in the southern hemisphere, particularly in remote areas such as parts of Australia, including Tasmania, as well as southern New Zealand and Antarctica.
The Northern Lights often garner more attention due to their visibility in accessible locations such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Canada, and Alaska, and under favorable conditions, they can also be observed in the UK and parts of the US.
The chances of witnessing an Aurora on Earth are influenced by several factors, including cloud cover, light pollution, time of day, and season.
For the ultimate front-row seat to this mesmerizing light show, being aboard the ISS is unparalleled.