See auroras from SPACE: Astronauts on the International Space Station sharing stunning images of the ‘Earth’s airglow’ as they travel more than 250 miles above the surface
- Auroras occur when cosmic rays interact with gases in the upper atmosphere and hang on the horizon.
- Astronauts on the ISS shared images of the event seen from space, as they went about 263 miles above
- The images were taken over various areas of the Earth including the North Atlantic, Romania and Russia.
- The ship was going about 263 miles above the surface when each statue was taken
- Most of the images show a green ribbon of light hanging over the horizon and the bright city lights below.
Sanas
The Arctic Circle and areas in the Southern Hemisphere are thought to be the best spots to see auroras on Earth, but a team of astronauts found an even better place – an outer space.
The Expedition 64 crew currently residing on the International Space Station captured several stunning images of the natural wonder as they ripped more than 250 miles above the surface.
The images were shot over various areas of our planet including the North Atlantic, Romania and Russia, showing the amazing lights hanging over cities, oceans and other land areas .
Auroras, also known as ‘Earth’s airglow’, are caused by cosmic rays interacting with gases in the upper atmosphere, which cover the horizon with colored electric lights.
NASA cites the event as an amazing sign that our planet is electronically connected to the sun. ‘
The Expedition 64 crew currently residing on the International Space Station captured several stunning images of the natural wonder as they ripped more than 250 miles above the surface. One of the statues, taken on January 18, was shot while the International Space Station (ISS) was traveling about 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean (pictured).
The images where astronauts were shared to the officers’ Twitter account of the ‘International Space Station’.
‘The orbit of the station takes it as high as 51.6 ° above the equator offering spectacular views of the Earth’ s aurora between the city ‘s lights and the shining stars,’ the post reads.
One of the images, taken on January 18, was shot while the International Space Station (ISS) was traveling about 264 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
The picture shows the dark sea below with a ribbon of green light floating high on the horizon.
Auroras, also known as ‘Earth’s airglow’, are caused by cosmic rays interacting with gases in the upper atmosphere, which cover the horizon with colored electric lights. This photograph was taken while the ISS was in command of Romania. The team captures the auroras hanging over Sweden and Finland
On January 13, the Expedition crew shared 46 images as they soared over Kazakhstan in Russia, which captured the city’s bright lights at night and above was a curved beam of green aurora
On the same day, the ISS flew over Romania to catch another breath taking sight.
‘The International Space Station was passing about 263 miles above Romania when this photograph was taken of the lights of a Swedish and Finnish city with an aurora above the Earth’s horizon,’ reads the title of the image.
‘The dark area between the two Scandinavian countries is the Baltic Sea.’
Auroras are also known as ‘polar lights’ because they are rarely seen outside 70 degrees north and south.
Auroras are also known as ‘polar lights’ because they are rarely seen outside 70 degrees north and south. Pictured is another statue taken 264 miles above Kazakhstan
However, one of the best images was taken January 7 which shows the 74 ship resupply hanging in the dark space and below are the puffy white clouds in our atmosphere. And on the horizon, the aurora australis can shine from the horizon
The spectacular display occurs when energetic particles emanate from the sun both in a steady stream called the solar wind and as a result of large explosions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
It can take two to three days for the grains to reach Earth, but when they do, the sun’s particles and magnetic fields cause grains that are locked near the Earth to be released, and that in turn stimulates reactions in the upper atmosphere in which oxygen and nitrogen molecules release light photons.
And this leads to the North and South lights.
On January 13, the Expedition crew shared 46 images as they soared over Kazakhstan in Russia, which captured the city’s bright lights at night and above them was a curved beam of green auroras.
However, one of the best images was taken January 7 which shows the 74 ship resupply hanging in the dark space and below are the puffy white clouds in our atmosphere.
And on the horizon, the aurora australis can shine from the horizon.
WHAT IS AURORAS AND WHAT DOES AURORAS TAKE?
The Northern and Southern Lights are spectacles of natural light stimulated in our atmosphere also known as the ‘Auroras’.
There are two types of Aurora – Aurora Borealis, meaning ‘morning of the north’, and Aurora Australis, ‘morning of the south’. ‘
The displays light up as lightning particles from the sun enter the Earth ‘s atmosphere.
There are two types of Aurora – Aurora Borealis (file image), which means ‘northern morning’, and Aurora Australis, ‘southern morning’. ‘Displays light up as lightning particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere
The grains, sometimes called solar flares, are usually polluted by the Earth’s magnetic field.
But in stronger storms they enter the atmosphere and are hit by gas particles, including hydrogen and helium.
These accidents scatter light. Auroral displays appear in many colors although pale green and pink are common.