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Auroras are perhaps the most striking natural light shows on Earth — and they look even more majestic from above .
Also called thenorthern lights(aurora borealis ) and southerly lights ( aurora australis ) , auroras occur when charged particles from the sun crash into our planet ’s atmosphere and ride its magnetic - field lines toward the poles . As they zip along , those corpuscle knock into other molecules in the atmosphere , exciting them and causing them to emit vivacious colors that are visible to the naked eye . Still , the full reach of this lifelike curiosity is hard to take in from the ground . Here are 32 of the most spectacular break of the day photos take by astronaut in orbital cavity , showcasing the unbelievable scale and unbelievable smasher of Earth ’s atmospheric lights .
1. View of the southern lights from Challenger
A green dayspring slices through the Southern Hemisphere somewhere between Antarctica and Australia . This vintage dead reckoning of the southerly light was captured in April 1985 by astronaut Robert F. Overmyer aboard the place shuttle Challenger .
2. Aurora over Moscow
The northerly light source slide beneath a full moon as Moscow shine like a golden spider in the left of the frame . This photo was taken in April 2014 by an Expedition 39 crewmember aboard theInternational Space Station(ISS ) .
3. A world-eating serpent
A brilliant - gullible , nearly round aurora curls over the Southern Hemisphere like an enormous serpent . This exquisite photo was taken withNASA ’s effigy orbiter in September 2005 from its orbit more than 600 mi ( 1,000 km ) over Earth .
4. Auroras at solar maximum
A green - and - loss morning snakes across the Southern Hemisphere in this photo taken from outer space birdie Discovery in May 1991 . This pic was conquer duringsolar maximum — the period of maximal solar activeness in the sunlight ’s 11 - twelvemonth cycle — when outbursts of charged solar speck are far more common , result in more frequent auroras on Earth .
5. Aurora with a dragon
Earth is bathed in green , orangish and red aurorean Inner Light in this photo take from the ISS in August 2016 . In the foreground , aSpaceXDragon resupply vehicle bob with the space station ’s Harmony module .
6. Blood-red aurora
A blood - red aurora hovers over Earth in this eerie image taken from the ISS in October 2001 . Red auroras take place when charge solar particles slam into oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere , briefly exciting them ; when the speck return to their unexcited United States Department of State , they breathe ruby Inner Light as a by-product , consort to NASA .
7. Sinuous southern lights
A wiggly green aurora ringlet through the Southern Hemisphere in this photo taken from infinite birdie Discovery in spring 1991 . Much of the shuttlecock ’s operations over Earth ’s nightside were devoted to studying auroras , fit in toNASA .
8. Sparkling cities
Splotchy cities in Russia andUkrainesparkle beneath the northern lights in this exposure get from the ISS in January 2019 . Vast fields of snow and icing are clear seeable from quad .
9. Aurora at sunrise
A unripe cockcrow steal the show from a gamey sunrise creeping over the horizon as European cities twinkle in the predawn light . This image was captured by Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti aboard the ISS in March 2015 .
10. Aurora with a vortex
A downhearted - pressure area , or cloud vortex , volute over the Gulf of Alaska as the northern Light dance overhead . This image was taken by a crewmember of the Endeavor while the space shuttle was docked with the ISS in March 2008 .
11. Aurora with Orion
A multicolored daybreak spikes toward the configuration Orion while the Southern Hemisphere sleeps below . This exposure was taken from the quad birdie Endeavor in April 1994 .
12. Southern lights at sunset
The southern lights swoop across the atmosphere in a bow bod while the waning lightness of the setting sun crawls over the visible horizon to the west . This image was taken from the ISS in February 2003 .
13. Sea of green
The Indian Ocean becomes a sea of green as the southern visible light douse the atmosphere overhead . This epitome was take by Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide aboard the ISS in August 2021 .
14. Waves of white
bloom of light stab 200 miles ( 320 km ) over the Southern Hemisphere in this bedazzle mental image of the southern lights . spaceman take the photo from the space shuttle Columbia in March 1994 , harmonize to NASA .
15. Corkscrew in the sky
The aurora australis corkscrew over the Southern Hemisphere at nighttime , stunning astronaut . This photo was taken by the crew of NASA ’s Atlantis orbiter during a nine - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. military mission in 1992 .
16. Space station over a green planet
Two modules of the ISS stare down at a tempestuous sea of green sunup below . This figure of speech was taken byEuropean Space Agency(ESA ) astronaut Thomas Pesquet in August 2021 , during his tenure aboard the ISS .
17. Rainbow in the atmosphere
Gorgeous bands of crimson , immature and orangish sunrise slice across the Southern Hemisphere in this epical photo snap by astronaut Tim Peake . Peake took this photo from aboard the ISS in former 2016 .
18. Northern lights before Christmas
favorable European metropolis shimmer at Christmastime in this December 2018 photograph of the northern light . ESA cosmonaut Alexander Gerst caught this gorgeous image from aboard the ISS .
19. “6 nose prints on the window”
The dour sea brood beneath the green southern light in this figure snapped from the ISS in June 2018 . " learn my first Aurora Australis on this mission today , my still magical old friend , " ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst , who take the pic , spell on social media . " 6 nose mark on the window , despite being busybodied with science . "
20. Aurora over Canada
A colorful display of northerly lights dance over Canada in this January 2016 exposure taken by ESA astronaut Tim Peake during his check aboard the ISS . The dark foreground express Banff and Jasper national parks , while the promising city sparkle of Edmonton and Calgary gleam in the distance .
21. Waterfall of light
spicy and green auroras crash over the horizon like a falls of Christ Within in this evocative image of Europe captured by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in 2017 . The waning glow of the setting sun can be run across far in the background .
22. “I can’t look away”
A city smolders in the foreground while colorful auroras peep over the view . " The panorama at night late has been only brilliant , " ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet , who snapped the photo , write in 2017 . " Few clouds , acute break of day . I ca n’t look away from the window . "
23. “Thick, green fog”
ESA spaceman Tim Peake also took this haunting photo as the ISS passed straightaway through a drapery of green break of the day in 2016 . " The ISS just passed straight through a wooden-headed green fog of aurora , " Peake wrote when he post the photo . " Eerie but very beautiful . "
24. Space station bathed in moonlight
ESA spaceman Samantha Cristoforetti caught this upside - down image of the northern lights while working aboard the ISS in 2015 . " An aurora in the distance and the Space Station bathe in Moon , " Cristoforetti write on societal media at the sentence .
25. Lighting up the clouds
Looking straight down from the ISS in 2015 , ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst take this photograph of a dark-green break of the day washing over the clouds of Earth . " An aurora lighting up the clouds beneath us , " Gerst write on social media .
26. Blue planet
gullible and carmine auroras swoop over the clouds and ocean in this beautiful picture that shows off Earth ’s reputation as the blue planet . ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst snapped this persona from the ISS in 2014 .
27. Hello from Canadarm2
The ISS ' Canadarm2 robotic branch curlicue up , seemingly flourish at the dazzling daybreak below . The last remnants of vanish sunshine can be seen far to the left hand in this 2014 photo .
28. Antarctic magic
The Antarctic dayspring waves parting as the sun begins to get up . " Antarctic Aurora fly from sunrise , " ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst wrote about this 2014 photo . " I have rarely seen something more magical in my life story ! "
29. Green aurora, green isles
Ireland and the U.K. glow under green and purple auroras in this vivid 2012 effigy . ESA astronaut André Kuipers snapped this image during his mission aboard the ISS in 2012 .
30. Aurora with the Milky Way
The ace of theMilky Wayshimmer above a green aurora in this 2012 exposure . Astronaut Andre Kuipers also engage this photo during his mission aboard the ISS , part of which can be seen at the top of the persona .
31. Upside-down reach
The greenish manus of the aurora borealis extend to over Earth in this surrealistic , upside - down photograph study from the ISS . Astronaut André Kuipers read this photo during his commission in 2012 .
32. Aurora and crater
Green auroras snake over northern Canada in this heroic 2006 photo take from the ISS . In the foreground , the Manicouagan impact volcanic crater stands as a testament to Earth ’s ancient human relationship with space .
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