Auroras from house? NASA astronaut captures southern lights from ISS

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Zena Cardman lately caught a glimpse of some auroras aboard the International Space Station and was form sufficient to share footage with us on the bottom.

• The auroras are a pure gentle show in Earth’s sky which can be famously finest seen in high-latitude areas of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
• Cardman, a member of a joint NASA and SpaceX mission often called Crew-11, captured her footage whereas orbiting above the South Pacific Ocean.
• Cardman is one among seven folks dwelling aboard the orbital laboratory, the International Space Station.

Auroras on Earth are a shocking sight to behold – and a uncommon one at that from the continental United States.

Lucky sufficient to have witnessed a phenomenon that within the Northern Hemisphere is called the northern lights? Well, now think about what that will appear like from about 250 miles above.

One astronaut aboard the International Space Station lately caught a glimpse of the unbelievable gentle present, and was form sufficient to share footage of it with all of us nonetheless on the bottom.

“I don’t have words yet for the whole experience, so a picture will have to do,” NASA astronaut Zena Cardman mentioned in an Aug. 14 post on social media web site X.

Here’s a have a look at what Cardman documented from house, and the way it’s the newest in a protracted line of placing astral pictures.

What are auroras? Astronaut captures phenomenon from ISS

The auroras are a pure gentle show in Earth’s sky which can be famously finest seen in high-latitude areas of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The glowing phenomenon seems as rays, spirals and sparkles that mostly manifest in hues of purple and inexperienced.

Most of us within the Northern Hemisphere are possible most aware of the aurora borealis, or northern lights. But as a result of Cardman mentioned the view she captured was over the South Pacific Ocean, that will possible make the show the southern lights, or the aurora australis, within the Southern Hemisphere.

The 40-second timelapse she shared to social media additionally reveals the Orion constellation and satellites, Cardman mentioned.

Other astronauts doc Earthly phenomenon from house

Cardman is way from the primary astronaut to doc such an unbelievable cosmic sight from house.

Astronaut Nichole Ayers, who was a part of the since-departed Crew-10 mission, captured a number of completely different phenomena throughout her time on the orbital outpost.

Ayers’ astral pictures included pictures of lightning in June from the house station and, in July, pictures of a uncommon occasion often called a “sprite.” The phenomenon, which scientists seek advice from as transient luminous occasions (TLEs), occurs above the clouds in periods of intense electrical exercise, like lightning.

Coincidentally, Cardman mentioned she recorded her current timelapse video aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule docked on the time on the station that Ayers rode in March to the ISS. The Dragon undocked and landed Aug. 9 off the California coast with Ayers and three different Crew-10 members.

“It was a bittersweet farewell but marked the start of a new chapter in what feels already like a great story,” Cardman mentioned in her publish.

Who is on the International Space Station?

Cardman is one of seven people dwelling aboard the International Space Station.

Cardman arrived Aug. 2 at the orbital laboratory as a part of a four-person contingent of a joint NASA and SpaceX mission often called Crew-11. The different members of the mission are NASA astronaut Mike Fincke; Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA); and Russian Oleg Platonov, a Roscosmos cosmonaut.

Crew-11 launched Aug. 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a Dragon capsule perched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Also aboard the station is NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, who reached the ISS in April with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com