European Space Agency (EAS) Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has shared two incredible Timelapse videos of both the aurora borealis and moonrise from the International Space Station (ISS). The videos show the neon green lights shimmering across the globe and were taken from different vantage points in the ISS.
Also known as the Northern lights, the auroras have been particularly vivid this year due to increased solar flares and activity on the sun’s surface.
Sublime beauty! First, flying into a stunning aurora borealis. And then the Moon rise and the Moon glint on the surface of the planet….#MissionMinerva @esa @esaspaceflight @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/nkBvJrdsoE
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 6, 2022
One of the videos also shows the moon rising over the horizon of the Earth as the ISS flies towards the aurora. The other video was taken looking out from the back of the Space Station.
It’s not just planet Earth that has auroras. Earlier this summer NASA released stunning images of Jupiter’s auroras, taken in incredible detail by the James Webb telescope.
… and in the meantime, looking aft, the aurora shimmers away beyond the horizon. And can you see the shadows cast by the Moon on the @Space_Station elements? #MissionMinerva @esa @esaspaceflight pic.twitter.com/c6Su4w6H8G
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 6, 2022
Samantha called her point of view of the auroras a “sublime beauty”. I have to agree, her vantage point is one that few of us get to witness. We are very lucky that the ISS astronauts have such a passion for sharing their images and videos with the rest of us on the planet.
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