00:00Auroras are incredibly beautiful atmospheric events that occur when solar particles ejected
00:08by the sun interact with our planet's protective barrier. They are effectively magnetic storms
00:13that ignite the sky in a gorgeous array of colors, an array that from the ground is many
00:18times a once-in-a-lifetime sight for most. However, this is an even rarer viewpoint,
00:22one that was actually captured from above the aurora itself.
00:26This video is captured by NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station.
00:31Currently, our sun is at its maximum, the apex of its 11-year solar cycle, where its surface
00:36activity is at its most intense. During this period, our solar system's central star will
00:41exhibit more frequent and more intense coronal mass ejections. These eruptions of plasma are
00:46jettisoned out into the cosmos, sending charged particles into nearby space. If that ejection
00:51happens to occur in our direction, that's when we get geomagnetic storms that result in
00:56these wild colorful cosmic shows. Auroras usually occur at altitudes of around 60 miles, with
01:01the ISS orbiting around 200 miles above that.
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