ISS Astronauts Get Front Row Seat as the Moon Sets Behind Earth Amidst Gorgeous Aurora

You have probably seen one of these before, gorgeous auroras that appear in our planet’s atmosphere. Still, I bet you’ve never seen one like this.

Transcript

00:00You've probably seen one of these before, gorgeous auroras that appear in our planet's

00:08atmosphere.

00:09But I bet you've never seen one like this.

00:11This video was recently captured by Matthew Dominic, a flight engineer on the International

00:15Space Station.

00:16And this is a time-lapse of an aurora from space, showing the moment the moon sets behind

00:21Earth.

00:22Moments later the station lights up and the aurora all but disappears, as the sun rises

00:27on the other side of the planet.

00:29Auroras are caused when solar flares and coronal mass ejections send particles hurling

00:33in our direction through space.

00:35Those particles then slam into our planet's magnetosphere and interact with our atmosphere's

00:39oxygen and nitrogen.

00:41That collision and subsequent interaction forces them to shed excess energy, causing

00:45their atoms to glow in beautiful reds, greens, and purples.

00:48And despite auroras being known to put on the best show in places like Iceland, this

00:52video proves that no one has a better view than those aboard the ISS.