15 captivating photos of auroras seen from space

Greens, purples, reds, and yellows splash across the sky.

PopSci Staff

Published Mar 9, 2024 7:20 PM EST

An aurora is a dazzling spectacle to witness down here on Earth, but from space, you get an entirely different perspective on the light show. While most of us won’t have the opportunity to see the beauty of an aurora from space first-hand, astronauts have captured stunning images of what an aurora looks like dancing over our planet.

In February, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli shared her view of an aurora from the International Space Station, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Sometimes I can’t believe this is our planet, OUR home. How lucky we are to live somewhere so spectacular and alive. I will definitely miss these views, but I look forward to exploring more of our planet and the beautiful views from the ground.” Moghbeli’s photos show a green aurora australis dancing over the southern hemisphere with the ISS in the foreground.

Sometimes I can’t believe this is our planet, OUR home. How lucky we are to live somewhere so spectacular and alive. I will definitely miss these views, but I look forward to exploring more of our planet and the beautiful views from the ground. #AuroraAustralis pic.twitter.com/2lbIUJFfKr

— Jasmin Moghbeli (@AstroJaws) February 15, 2024

Unless you have a flight to the ISS booked, you’ll have to settle for experiencing the beauty of auroras from space in photographs. Thankfully the photos are quite beautiful too.

[Related: We finally know what sparks the Northern Lights]

The aurora australis seemingly crowns the Earth’s horizon as the International Space Station orbited 272 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Asia and Antarctica. Image: NASA

A greenish appearing aurora forms the backdrop for this 35mm scene of the Earth orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour’s aft cargo bay. Featured in the bay are the antennae for the SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar instruments, illuminated by moonlight. The crew sighted the southern lights (aurora australis) several times during each of the eleven days of the mission. Image: NASA

Earth Observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). A docked Soyuz spacecrat is also visible in foreground. Image: NASA

A brilliant and vivid Aurora Borealis illuminates the Earth’s northern hemisphere on Jan 20, 2016, providing a spectacular view for members of Expedition 46 aboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA

The aurora australis streams across the Earth’s atmosphere as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Asia and Antarctica. Image: NASA

While docked and onboard the International Space Station, a STS-123 Endeavour crew member captured the glowing green beauty of the Aurora Borealis. Looking northward across the Gulf of Alaska, over a low pressure area (cloud vortex), the aurora brightens the night sky. This image was taken on March 21, 2008. Image: NASA

The aurora australis streams across the Earth’s atmosphere as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles above the southern Indian Ocean in between Asia and Antarctica. Image: NASA

Astronaut Don L. Lind, mission specialist, termed this scene of an aurora in the Southern Hemisphere as “spectacular,” during a TV down link featuring discussion of the auroral observations on the seven-day flight. This scene was captured by astronaut Robert F. Overmyer, crew commander, using a 35mm camera. Dr. Lind, monitoring activity in the magnetosphere at various points throughout the flight, pinpointed the spacecraft’s location as being over a point halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent. There are moonlit clouds on Earth. The blue-green band and the tall red rays are aurora. The brownish band parallel to the Earth’s horizon is a luminescence of the atmosphere itself and is referred to as airglow. Dr. T. Hallinan of the Geophysical Institute of Fairbanks serves as principal investigator for the auroral observations experiment and spent a great deal of time with Dr. Lind in preparation for the flight. Image: NASA

Earth Observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as: Phenomenal Aurora. Part of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) arm is also visible. Image: NASA

Members of Expedition 43 on the International Space Station captured this contrasting image of Earth sunrise, aurora and sparling cities in northern Europe. Image: NASA

Night Earth Observations taken by Expedition 41 crewmember. Aurora and Remote Manipulator System (RMS) are visible. Image: NASA

A 35mm frame of the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, photographed from Space Shuttle Discovery’s flight deck by one of its seven crew members. One of the mission objectives was to measure the spectral and spatial characteristics of auroral emissions. While passing over the sunlighted portion of Earth, the crew was able to take a number of photos of the various geographic points on the planet; much of the time on nightside passes was devoted to a thorough study and documentation of auroral displays. Image: NASA

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Image: NASA

The city lights (bottom center to far left) of Moscow and Saint Petersburg in Russia, to Helsinki, Finland, are framed by an aurora in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above. Image: NASA