NASA has published a fascinating video taken from the International Space Station (ISS) at an altitude of 400 km above the Earth. Impressive images show the amazing aurora borealis, which makes our planet look like an alien world. For many astronauts visiting the ISS, observing the aurora borealis is often one of the highlights of being in orbit. This natural phenomenon occurs when solar wind particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, and a beautiful atmospheric effect appears as a result of the collision between them.
The 64-second NASA video was posted on Twitter on Monday, September 5. It shows the view from the orbiting outpost as it flew over the Indian Ocean before traveling further to the moonlit Coral Sea east of Australia. At the 25-second mark, pay attention to the bright image of the Moon rising above the Earth. And notice how at the 30-second mark, the aurora disappears from the image as the station travels over South Australia. Take a closer look at this moment, whether you can notice the ascent of the constellation of Orion. Towards the end of the video, the footage shows the magnificent sight of moonlight sparkling over the ocean a few hundred kilometers below, before several thunderstorms light up the night landscape.
This time-lapse video shows an orbital pass above an aurora-draped Indian Ocean all the way to a moonlit Coral Sea east of Australia. pic.twitter.com/U5pGdtdRvD
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) September 5, 2022
If you are interested in what is in the center of the image, then this is Canadarm2, a key part of the ISS. A robotic arm is used to assist astronauts during spacewalks outside the station. Last year, a small piece of space debris crashed into Canadarm2, but it managed to avoid serious damage, and it continues to function normally.
During breaks, astronauts on board the ISS often head to the seven-window Cupola module, which offers an unsurpassed view of the Earth and beyond. Some like to grab one of the station’s many digital SLR cameras and capture the incredible views below, which is what Twitter star astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti likes to do.
Earlier we reported on how the Earth looks from orbit with the effect of a “fish eye”.
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