NASA astronaut snaps absolutely unreal photo of Northern Lights from ISS
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NASA astronaut snaps absolutely unreal photo of Northern Lights from space
The image shows the ISS sticking out in front of the luminous green swirls blanketing the Earth below the stars.
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15:44, Thu, Mar 2, 2023
| UPDATED:
16:16, Thu, Mar 2, 2023
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An astronauts image of the spectacular Northern Lights from the ISS
(Image: NASA/Josh Cassada)
A NASAastronaut aboard the International Space Station(ISS) has captured a spectacular image of the Northern Lights from the cosmos. Josh Cassada, who launched to the ISS in October, shared the stunning photo of the aurora on Twitter. The picture shows the ISS sticking out in front of luminous green swirls blanketing the Earth among the stars.
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Mr Cassada gave the picture a simple caption of absolutely unreal.
And many agreed. One viewer even called it one of the most stunning shots they had ever seen. Another said the photo has just blown my socks off.
ISS astronauts are often treated to spectacular displays down below as the space station offers unique views of the planet which most people will never get to see in their entire lifetime.
The space station orbits Earth at around 250 miles and makes around 16 trips around the blue planet on a daily basis.
The Northern Lights are usually only visible from Scotland
(Image: Getty )
But the view of the aurora from up above may have looked particularly extraordinary as the phenomenon stretched much further than the usual area it covers.
Earlier this week, a solar flare erupting on the Sun caused strong geomagnetic storms to occur in the Earth's atmosphere.
When solar storms reach Earth, they can cause impacts on the magnetic field and result in the phenomena known as aurora or the Northern Lights.
But in the UK, when this happens it is usually only those in Scotland who might have a chance at catching a glimpse. However, lucky onlookers as far south as Cornwall were treated by the stunning displays in a rare occasion for thousands of people.
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The Northern Light display was triggered by a solar storm
(Image: Getty )
Thursday, March 2, 2023 at 3:44 pm