Being aboard the International Space Station is quite the treat, as showcased by several astronauts over the course of the station’s operations. Skywatchers now have even more reasons to be jealous of NASA astronaut Josh Cassada’s incredible photo taken from the International Space Station.
The ISS flies an average of 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth in its orbiting track. The station’s astronauts often have a unique view of the events that take place here. Auroras are no different, either. Cassada shared the photo of the auroras taken from the ISS on Twitter on February 28, describing the view as “absolutely unreal.”
Absolutely unreal. pic.twitter.com/pah5PSC0bl
— Josh Cassada (@astro_josh) February 28, 2023
Of course, this is far from the only time that we’ve been given such a spectacular view of these celestial events. Previously astronaut Bob Hines captured images of a solar storm interacting with our atmosphere last year. With such a striking view of the Earth, it really shouldn’t be that surprising that photos of auroras from the ISS are so breathtaking.
These celestial events are caused by solar radiation interacting with our Earth’s atmosphere. Auroras may appear far beyond the normal areas of their appearance if there is enough radiation from the Sun. It’s also amazing to see how far these light shows extend into space, something else showcased perfectly in these photos of auroras captured aboard the ISS.
Of course, this isn’t the only news from the beloved space station this week. NASA and SpaceX are still working on launching the Crew-6 mission, which was scrubbed just two minutes before liftoff, and will take four more astronauts to the station.
Further, Russia’s ISS rescue mission is finally underway, providing astronauts a safer way to get home should any emergencies aboard the ISS pop up.
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