Auroras from Space
Image Credit:
ESA
,
NASA
,
ISS Expedition 74
; Capture:
Sophie Adenot
;
Music:
Circle of Light
(
Patrick Hawes
&
Grace Davidson
)
Explanation:
What do auroras look like from above? Behold! From the ground,
auroras dance
high
above clouds
, frequently causing
spectacular
displays
. From space, they look a bit different. As the
International Space Station
(ISS) circles the Earth every 90 minutes, it sometimes sees
auroras below
that are active on the night side. A one-hour time-lapse video showing
auroras
from above was captured about two weeks ago from the orbiting ISS. The
ISS
-- and all objects in
low Earth orbit
-- will pass well above
green auroras
but just a bit above
red glowing auroras
. The auroras'
electron
and
proton
streams are too thin to be
a danger
to the ISS, just as
clouds pose little danger to airplanes
. From orbit, as
magnetic fields
change, auroras can appear to squiggle and crawl like giant
snakes
. The
featured
one-minute video was captured by
French
astronaut
Sophie Adenot
of the
ISS Expedition 74
crew.