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All images via NASA

You’ve seen amazing images of the Aurora Borealis and its counterpart, the Aurora Australis here on Environmental Graffiti in the past, but now you have a chance to see them as never before: from space. If you think the view down on Earth is incredible beyond words, wait until you see what these natural light phenomena look like from the International Space Station and through the lens of the Hubble Telescope.

Aurorae are created when charged particles from the sun, called the solar wind, interact with the magnetic shield that surrounds our planet (and other planets as well). On Earth, this magnetic shield, called the magnetosphere, protects us from radiation by pushing the solar wind around it. Electromagnetic waves and electric fields are created, then transfer their energy into electrons that interact with oxygen and nitrogen to create the beautiful natural light display we know as Aurora.

Beautiful Aurora Borealis

The Aurora Borealis was named by Pierre Gassendi in 1621 after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and Boreas, the Greek name for north wind. The Cree called it the “Dance of the Spirits.”

Aurora Borealis with Manicouagan Impact Crater in View

Captured by ISS Science Officer Don Pettit

In the above picture of the Aurora Borealis, the Manicouagan Impact Crater, located in northern Canada, can be seen 300 km below. International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit said that “changing auroras appeared to crawl around like giant green amoebas” in orbit.

Follow the Trail

Aurorae become more visible the closer one gets to either the north or south poles. At these extreme ends of the Earth, they may appear high up in the sky overhead, but farther away, they seem to rise up from the horizon as a green glow with tinges of red, like the “red crown” of Aurora Australis, seen in the picture above. This image almost looks like a treasure map: follow the trail and get to what looks like a legendary castle from space.

Loop de loop

Another image of the southern lights almost looks like loops of light created by huge glow sticks (above); and here’s the amazing view that the astronauts at the International Space Station get to see:

An Astronaut’s View

In the image below, the view of the Aurora Borealis from the International Space Station includes the shining lights of Finland, Russia, Estonia and Latvia. The Praesepe or Beehive Cluster in the constellation Cancer can be seen to the lower right of the moon, with Saturn to the right of that.

Fly Me To the Moon

And if you thought Aurorae were spectacular on Earth, check out these two pictures of amazing light shows on Jupiter and Saturn:

Aurora on Jupiter

Captured by John Clarke (University of Michigan) and NASA

Aurorae on Saturn

Captured by J.T. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and NASA

This incredible image of Saturn features its famed rings and Aurorae at either end of the planet.

To see more pictures of auroras and other incredible light phenomena, go here and here.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

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