NASA astronaut Don Pettit recorded a breathtaking video of a green aurora from the International Space Station, showcasing its unique beauty from above Earth's atmosphere.
Solar maximum hit late last year, so our star is in an active state, spitting out flares and triggering swirling, colorful light shows on Earth. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, a current resident of the International Space Station, captured jaw-dropping footage of a green aurora as seen from above. Pettit shared the flyover video on social media on Jan. 5 with the simple caption, “Flying over aurora; intensely green.” He didn’t need to say more. The view speaks for itself.
The short video shows a sparkling blanket of city lights down below with the fiery green aurora pulsing over Earth. Some parts of spacecraft docked to the ISS are visible in the upper left of the video. Most people experience auroras from on the ground where the lights dance across the horizon. Astronauts in space get a very different look at the phenomenon. Combined with the city lights below, it’s a unique perspective on the shape and size of the aurora. Aurora watchers love to captureAuroras come in different colors. Green and red are common hues, but they can also appear in shades of pink, blue, purple, yellow and white. “The various colors of auroras are created by different atoms and molecules in the atmosphere,”in an explainer. “When an energetic particle hits an oxygen atom, it releases red or green light depending on the energy of the oxygen atom.” Pettit is an accomplished astrophotographer. The NASA veteran arrived for his most recent visit to the ISS in September. This is his third stay on the station. Pettit’s social media presence is filled with knockout images from his vantage point up in orbit. He delivered a sparkling look at the as seen through the window of a docked SpaceX Dragon crew capsule late last year. He snapped views of visitingPettit also points his camera inside the space station. He took a creative space selfie showing him and his camera reflected in the shiny visor of a spacesuit helmet. The reflection gives a warped view of part of the station behind Petti
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