As the Sun reaches the most active phase of its 11-year cycle, the night sky has been putting on dazzling light shows. Recently, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had a front-row seat to one of nature’s most breathtaking performances—vivid auroras stretching across the Earth’s atmosphere, captured in stunning detail from 419 kilometers above the Indian Ocean.
These electrifying displays, commonly known as the northern and southern lights, occur when charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere. The recent surge in solar activity has intensified space weather, making auroras more frequent and dramatic than usual.
The Science Behind the Colors
Auroras appear in different colors depending on which atmospheric gases interact with the incoming solar particles. The most common hue is green, emitted by oxygen at lower altitudes. However, when solar storms intensify, they bring more energetic particles, triggering additional shades:
- Red – Can originate from nitrogen or oxygen at higher altitudes, often appearing during powerful geomagnetic storms.
- Purple, Blue, and Pink – Created by nitrogen interactions, with variations depending on the energy levels.
- Orange Hues – A rare blend of multiple atmospheric reactions.
NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth archive recently released a sequence of images showing these dynamic auroras shifting in real-time. Captured in rapid succession, the photographs highlight both the evolving nature of the auroras and the ISS’s high-speed movement—roughly 8 kilometers per second.
For those unable to witness auroras from orbit, higher-latitude regions on Earth offer the best chance. With solar activity still high, forecasts suggest that more bright auroras could be visible in the coming months.
