The aurora borealis that recently lit up Earth’s polar region was captured in impressive footage taken by NASA astronaut Zena Cardman aboard the International Space Station.
Video source: X/ @zenanaut
Astronaut Zena Cardman published on November 17 on the X platform a video in which the green lights of the aurora can clearly be seen dancing above the Earth. “I’ve never seen the aurora borealis from below, but from here, from above, it’s a common sight”she wrote in the post, alongside the images captured from space.
Cardman is the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, which launched from Earth on Aug. 1, according to the US space agency.
What is the Northern Lights?
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is a spectacular optical phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions, the BBC reports. The lights are formed when charged particles in the solar wind collide with Earth’s magnetic field and gases in the atmosphere. Most commonly, the aurora is green in color, but it can also appear in shades of pink or other colors, depending on altitude and the composition of atmospheric gases.
