NASA has compiled stunning high-definition views of Earth's auroras as seen from the Internation Space Station. Ultra-high definition cameras, mounted at several locations on the ISS, captured the time lapses in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Aurora borealis and aurora australis flare up when electrically charged electrons and protons in the Earth's magnetic field collide with neutral atoms in the upper atmosphere.
The ISS orbits some 400 kilometres (250 miles) overhead with a multinational crew of six astronauts and cosmonauts living and working aboard.
The current Expedition 47 crew comprises Jeff Williams and Tim Kopra of NASA, Tim Peake of the European Space Agency and cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko, Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos. Some of the imagery was shot by recent prior space station crew members.
Be sure to enjoy this fascinating video in high definition.
Originally published by Cosmos as Video: stunning polar lightshow from space
Cosmos reporter
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