NASA astronaut Jonny Kim has published his debut time-lapse video, recorded aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and it is truly spectacular. In a 68-second video posted by Kim on social media, Earth appears in all its breathtaking beauty. The ISS, flying at an altitude of about 400 km, orbits the planet, offering breathtaking panoramic views.
My first time-lapse. Thanks to some instruction and tips from @Astro_Ayers, I caught my first aurora. After seeing the result, I told her this felt like fishing. Prepping the camera, the angle, the settings, the mount, then setting your timer and coming back to hope you got a… pic.twitter.com/RgEaq50E5p
— Jonny Kim (@JonnyKimUSA) June 6, 2025
“My first time-lapse,” the astronaut modestly captioned his video. He thanked his colleague Nichole Ayers for her helpful filming tips. Kim even compared the process to fishing: “I prepared the camera, angle, settings, set the timer, and waited. And then I came back, hoping that I had “caught” something. After my first catch, I was definitely interested!
The footage is truly impressive: the station flies over the night hemisphere, where stars shine above and the lights of cities in Asia and Australia twinkle below. But the most dramatic moment is the appearance of a giant aurora. A bright green glow caused by the collision of solar particles with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere spread across the horizon, filling most of the frame. At the end of the video, you can see one of the powerful solar panels of the ISS.
Although auroras are also visible from the Earth’s surface, astronauts in orbit have a privileged view of this atmospheric phenomenon — unobstructed and in full scale. Observing this natural wonder often becomes one of the most vivid impressions of space travelers.
Jonny Kim arrived at the ISS in April this year aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. His mission will last for another four months, so there is every reason to hope for more exciting videos from orbit from this timelapse newcomer. His first “space prey” has already proven that, from a height of 400 km, our planet continues to amaze us.
Earlier, we reported on the types of auroras observed on different planets in the Solar System.
According to Digital Trends
