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NASA Astronaut Films Gorgeous Auroras From the ISS
Amaze Lab
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1/27/2025
Auroras are incredibly beautiful atmospheric events that occur when solar particles ejected by the Sun interact with our planet’s protective barrier. And while they’re breathtaking from below, they’re even moreso from above.
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00:00
Auroras are incredibly beautiful atmospheric events that occur when solar particles ejected
00:08
by the Sun interact with our planet's protective barrier.
00:11
They are effectively magnetic storms that ignite the sky in a gorgeous array of colors,
00:16
an array that from the ground is many times a once in a lifetime sight for most.
00:20
However, this is an even rarer viewpoint, one that was actually captured from above
00:25
the aurora itself.
00:26
This video is captured by NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station.
00:31
Currently our Sun is at its maximum, the apex of its 11-year solar cycle, where its surface
00:36
activity is at its most intense.
00:39
During this period, our solar system's central star will exhibit more frequent and more intense
00:43
coronal mass ejections.
00:44
These eruptions of plasma are jettisoned out into the cosmos, sending charged particles
00:49
into nearby space.
00:50
If that ejection happens to occur in our direction, that's when we get geomagnetic storms that
00:55
result in these wild, colorful cosmic shows.
00:58
Auroras usually occur at altitudes of around 60 miles, with the ISS orbiting around 200
01:04
miles above that.
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