Astronauts got to see an incredible display screen of southern lights over New Zealand and Antarctica previously this month.Spectacular images and video footage of the green-hued aurora flowed from the International Space Station, where the Expedition 66 crew got a view of the Indian Ocean program and shared it on social media.” I caught this aurora simply as orbital daybreak was starting. Breathtaking!” composed NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough on Oct. 12, two days after the program took location. With his tweet came a sweeping view of auroras over the hardly lit limb of the Earth.Auroras happen when charged particles from the sun, referred to as the solar wind, circulation along the magnetic field lines of Earth and communicate with our environment. As the particles are deflected by the electromagnetic field to our worlds poles, their interactions with the atmosphere discards in energy and causes the atmosphere to glow.Amazing auroras: Stunning northern lights photosA sensational aurora rips over the Indian Ocean on Oct. 10, 2021, as seen by International Space Station astronauts. Credit: NASA (Image credit: NASA) I captured this aurora just as orbital sunrise was beginning. Awesome! pic.twitter.com/8km6i4M5VjOctober 12, 2021See moreThe sun is somewhat near the beginning of a solar cycle, which lasts about 11 years. Each cycle has a “optimum,” at which point there is more solar activity manifested as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which can trigger auroras if any particles circulation in the right direction towards Earth.While were not near that optimum phase today, the astronauts had a fantastic viewpoint from their orbit at roughly 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, without any interfering environment in the way. That said, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet stated eventually the sun stopped observations.” The view in this #timelapse passes the #aurora to marvel at the stars and then be overwhelmed by a sunrise,” Pesquet wrote in a tweet posted on Sunday (Oct. 17). Although the aurora is lovely, it could accompany a real risk for astronauts: radiation. NASA has life time radiation procedures in place for its spaceflyers to safeguard against ill effects of radiation occasions in orbit, which can be associated with conditions such as cancer. The agency is likewise investigating the exposure for astronauts at future spaceflight destinations such as the moon and Mars. Une aurore polaire, des étoiles et léblouissement final du lever de soleil: que demander de plus? #BonneNuit. The view in this #timelapse passes the #aurora to marvel at the stars and then be overhwelmed by a daybreak. #MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/M7LDGtqd5lOctober 17, 2021See moreFollow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Astronauts got to see a remarkable display of southern lights over New Zealand and Antarctica previously this month.Spectacular images and video of the green-hued aurora streamed from the International Space Station, where the Expedition 66 team got a view of the Indian Ocean program and shared it on social media. As the particles are deflected by the magnetic field to our worlds poles, their interactions with the atmosphere dumps in energy and triggers the atmosphere to glow.Amazing auroras: Stunning northern lights photosA sensational aurora rips over the Indian Ocean on Oct. 10, 2021, as seen by International Space Station astronauts. The aurora is lovely, it could accompany a real risk for astronauts: radiation.