A NASA astronaut has shared a time-lapse video showing green and red auroras lighting up the Earth from space. The footage captures the colourful display from orbit, with faint red streaks appearing briefly against the brighter green lights. The video has caught the attention of social media users, many of whom have praised the astronaut's photography.
NASA astronaut shares aurora footage from space
The video was shared by NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is known for capturing photographs and videos of the Earth during his time in space.
Sharing the footage, Pettit wrote, "Auroras pulsing intensely through this orbital timelapse. Natural light shows! If you look closely, wisps of the higher altitude red auroras briefly appear within the sea of green before fading away, like sprites from a thunderstorm. Watching them never gets old!"
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The time-lapse shows green auroras spreading across the Earth's atmosphere, with red lights appearing briefly before fading away. Pettit also compared the higher-altitude red auroras to sprites from a thunderstorm.
Unlike photographs taken from the ground, the footage offers a view of the auroras from above the Earth, showing how the natural light display looks from orbit.
{{/usCountry}}Unlike photographs taken from the ground, the footage offers a view of the auroras from above the Earth, showing how the natural light display looks from orbit.
{{/usCountry}}Check out the full video below:
Internet reacts to aurora time-lapse
The video received several reactions from social media users, many of whom were impressed by the view and Pettit's photography.
"Holy moly, fantastic work as always! I hope I get the chance to capture the beauty of our planet like this someday," one user commented.
Another wrote, "Aurora from orbit, with those higher red wisps fading through the green. Incredible."
Some users said they could watch the footage for hours. "I could watch this kind of footage all day. I love how the red wisps peek through the green like that," one comment read.
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The video also prompted questions about how auroras appear to astronauts watching them from space. "Do auroras have more vivid colours to the naked eye from space?" one user asked.
Another called it "a million dollar view", while someone else said they would love to see an entire documentary featuring the footage.
For viewers on social media, the time-lapse offered another chance to see the Earth from a perspective that is rarely experienced from the ground.