I think it may be educational to define what an ‘aurora’ is, because if you’re a dumbass like me, you may have thought it was the name of an Indie band.
According to my source (Wikipedia),
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in the high latitude. Aurorae are caused by cosmic rays, solar wind and magnetospheric plasma interacting with the upper atmosphere. Their charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, enter the atmosphere from above causing ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents, and consequent light emissions.
Ya, that.
The amazing footage you’re seeing is from NASA astronaut Scott Kelly who captured the scene from the International Space Station where he’s on a year-long mission to collect essential scientific data for future human exploration in space.
#Aurora trailing a colorful veil over Earth this morning. Good morning from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/q7C7R5D6fu
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) August 15, 2015
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Day 129. Some lights are best left on. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/aNxnrGPPUc — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) August 3, 2015
#GoodMorning #Aurora! Good to see you again. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/dJFbzmwaXT
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) July 13, 2015
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#Aurora I don’t think I will ever see another quite like you again. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/NVywx2JH3r — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 23, 2015
He took very rare sunrise footage on the 141st day of his year in space and shared it with us via Twitter. It’s probably best to look at these stoned. Space is always cooler when you can’t feel your face.
Day 141. The chapter of a day ends as it began. #Aurora on a sunrise. Good night from @space_station! #YearInSpace https://t.co/hZBMs9q0CS
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) August 15, 2015
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[h/t Mashable]