Updated
Updated · Space.com · Jun 26
ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot Captures Aurora Australis on Orbit 1,968 From ISS
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Jun 26

ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot Captures Aurora Australis on Orbit 1,968 From ISS

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jun 26

Summary

  • Orbit 1,968 brought Sophie Adenot an unusually intense aurora australis, which she photographed from the International Space Station as neon green swirls over purple and red atmospheric glow.
  • Adenot said the display on day 127 of the εpsilon mission was far brighter than earlier auroras the crew had seen, even overwhelming her usual camera settings and lighting the station green.
  • The phenomenon forms when charged particles in the solar wind hit Earth's atmosphere, producing auroras that are visible not only from the ground but also from orbit.
  • From the ISS, the southern lights stretched "as far as the eye could see," offering a rare real-time view that Adenot shared publicly from the orbiting laboratory.

Insights

Beyond the stunning photos, how does studying this aurora from the ISS help protect our technology on Earth?
While astronauts admire beautiful auroras, how vulnerable is Earth's power grid to the solar storms that create them?
With solar activity threatening global systems, what new technologies will give us earlier warnings than we have today?