NASA astronaut shares astonishing aurora photo from ISS
Christina Koch takes a magic snap.
It looks like someone spilled the green wildfire from Game of Thrones across a wide swath of the Earth.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch shared a photo on Monday of a glowing aurora as seen from the International Space Station. "No filter," she assured us on Twitter.
Years ago at the South Pole, I looked up to the aurora for inspiration through the 6-month winter night. Now I know they’re just as awe inspiring from above. #nofilter pic.twitter.com/7a09Q4RMW6
— Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) June 10, 2019
Long before heading to the ISS, Koch spent time in a different sort of extreme environment as a researcher at the South Pole. "I looked up to the aurora for inspiration through the six-month winter night," she wrote. "Now I know they're just as awe inspiring from above."
The photo shows two Russian spacecraft docked to the ISS, giving an unusual perspective on the lights below.
The aurora isn't just dancing for people in orbit. Swedish photographer Mia Stålnacke has been sharing the view from Earth and posted a video to Twitter on Sunday of "one of the most intense auroral displays I've ever seen."
We're back to cooler temperatures up here in the subarctic, 8°C and rain today.
— Mia Stålnacke (@AngryTheInch) June 9, 2019
Makes me long for dark winter nights with crazy light shows in the sky!
This is one of the most intense auroral displays I've ever seen. Filmed in real-time. :) pic.twitter.com/f5oZo12M3v
Koch should have more opportunities ahead to catch some aurora action. She's scheduled to remain on the ISS until February 2020, an epic 328-day visit that will set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.
