Northern Lights show surprises NASA astronaut on ISS
A Nasa astronaut on the International Space Station was recently surprised by a beautiful display of the Northern Lights while trying to photograph active storms on Earth.
Astronaut Nichole Ayers shared the video above showing aurora lights dancing over the Earth's poles on May 23.
"The Aurora showed up this last weekend when I wasn't expecting it!" Ayers wrote on X. "I was trying to capture the massive storms that went through both North and South America and got a nice surprise."
The astronaut said the aurora lights appeared around sunset over the northern U.S. and Canada. Under the right space weather conditions, people on Earth in those areas could have seen the lights, too.
At the time of the aurora lights, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning with KP levels forecast to reach 6 out of 9.
Vivid Northern Lights are created when energized particles from the Sun interact with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's magnetic field. During these space weather reactions, different molecules create different colors of light.
Ayers launched to the ISS from Florida in March as part of NASA's Crew-10 mission with SpaceX.
Since arriving at the station this spring, Ayers has enjoyed sharing amazing views of the Earth from space. One of her first time-lapse videos included this display of aurora lights in late April.Original article source: Northern Lights show surprises NASA astronaut on ISS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
43 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
10 amazing images to mark 60 years of U.S. spacewalks
On June 3, 1965, NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to exit a spacecraft in orbit. 'This is the greatest experience, it's just tremendous,' White said as he floated outside the Gemini 4 spacecraft on that historic day. Recommended Videos To mark the 60th anniversary since the first U.S. spacewalk, we've compiled a collection of 10 awesome images captured during the first-ever U.S walk, as well as subsequent walks that have taken place over the years. 1. First up, Ed White during his historic spacewalk on June 3, 1965. For his safety, the record-setting astronaut was secured to the spacecraft by a 25-foot umbilical line and tether during his 20-minute adventure. 2. NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski appears to wave to the camera while attached to a foot restraint at the end of the Space Shuttle's Orbiter Boom Sensor System during a spacewalk in 2007. 3. NASA's John B. Herrington, seen at the far left of the image, during a walk outside the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2002. 4. NASA astronaut Suni Williams pictured secured to the space station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, with the orbital facility's solar arrays behind her during a walk in 2025. 5. With a dramatic cloudy backdrop, astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. can be seen during a spacewalk at the space station in 2006. 6. Bruce McCandless II is seen approaching his maximum distance from the Space Shuttle Challenger in an extraordinary spacewalk in 1984 that saw him become the first astronaut to maneuver in space untethered. McCandles was trialing a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit. 7. Reid Wiseman takes part in a 2014 spacewalk at the space station some 250 miles above Earth. During the 6-hour, 13-minute spacewalk, Wiseman and ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst worked outside the station's Quest airlock, relocating a failed cooling pump to external stowage and installing gear that provides back up power to external robotics equipment. 8. NASA's Christina Koch snaps a 'space selfie' with Earth behind her. She and fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir worked outside the ISS for more than seven hours during the first-ever all-woman spacewalk in 2019. 9. American astronaut Dale A. Gardner gets up close and personal with the spinning WESTAR VI satellite during a mission in 1984. Gardner used a special device to stabilize the communications spacecraft sufficiently so that it could be captured and placed in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery for return to Earth. 10. Astronauts Carl Meade and Mark Lee during a spacewalk in 1994. Lee can be seen attached to the Space Shuttle's robotic arm.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Indian pilot set for a historic space journey on Axiom-4
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), set to take off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida next week, will be piloted by an Indian as it soars towards the International Space Station (ISS). Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian air force is among the four-member multi-country crew of Ax-4 that will be spending two weeks on the ISS. The flight, scheduled for 10 June at 08:22 EDT (12:22GMT; 17:52IST), has generated a huge interest in India as Group Captain Shukla will only be the second Indian ever to travel to space and the first to visit the ISS. The trip comes 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to fly to space aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984. He spent nearly eight days there. Ax-4 is led by former Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson - a space veteran who has been commander of ISS twice, spent hundreds of days in space and done 10 space walks. The team also includes Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary - just like the Indian astronaut, they will also be taking their countries back to space after more than four decades. Experts say the pilot's role is key, as he would serve as second-in-command to the mission commander, assisting with spacecraft operations during launch, docking, undocking and return to Earth. The astronauts, who have been in quarantine since 25 May to prepare for the trip, addressed a press conference on Tuesday night where they showed-off Joy - a small, white toy swan they said would be "the fifth crew member" on Ax-4. "We are good for the launch, we have completed all the training and the team has bonded well," Commander Whitson said. Describing the past year as "nothing short of transformative" for him, Group Captain Shukla said he did not have words to describe his excitement. "It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come," he said. "As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts. "I request all Indians to pray for the success of our mission," he added. The 39-year-old was among four Indian air force officers shortlisted last year to travel on the country's first-ever human space flight, scheduled for 2027. The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days. India has also announced ambitious plans to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040. India's space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for Gaganyaan. In December, it plans to send a female humanoid robot to space as part of the tests. So, officials say the weekend's mission comes as a "unique exciting opportunity" for Isro and has generated a lot of interest in India. The trip to ISS aboard Ax-4 - a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private company Axiom Space - is a collaborative effort between Nasa, Isro and European Space Agency (Esa). Sunday's flight will be launched using the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. Isro, which has paid 5bn rupees ($59m; £43m) to secure a seat for Group Captain Shukla and his training, says the experience he will gain during his trip to the ISS will help India immensely. "The benefit we will get from this mission is phenomenal in terms of the training, exposure to the facilities and the experience of jointly conducting experiments in space," Isro Chairman V Narayanan recently said. Sudeesh Balan, Isro project director, said Group Captain Shukla had been training since August last year. "He's undergone rigorous training, including physical and psychological assessments, to prepare for the journey." Born on 10 October 1985 in the northern city of Lucknow, Group Captain Shukla joined the Indian air force as a fighter pilot in 2006. According to Axiom Space, he has over 2,000 hours of flying experience and has flown MiGs, Sukhois, Dorniers, Jaguars and Hawks. His sister Shuchi Mishra, however, told the BBC that his entry into the air force was "accidental". "When he was 17 and in high school, his friend got a form to apply to the National Defence Academy. But this friend was slightly overage so he was not qualified. Not wanting to waste the form, Shubhanshu filled it up," Ms Mishra said. "He was selected - and has never looked back." Ms Mishra says their family "is thrilled as one of ours has been chosen out of India's 1.4 billion people" for this mission. "We all feel so privileged and proud that he's a part of our family and that we've been a part of his journey." Her brother, she says, is undertaking this journey for his country - for the next generation. "He always tells people to dream big, to do something for the nation. We are hoping that his trip will inspire the next generation." Besides piloting the mission, the Indian astronaut will have a busy schedule during his time on ISS. Considering the huge interest in the flight, Isro has said they are organising events for him to interact with Indian students and answer their questions while floating in space. "We believe it will motivate our young minds to become passionate about space tech," Mr Balan said. But most of the time, the four-member crew will be conducting 60 scientific experiments, seven of which come from India. Former Nasa scientist Mila Mitra says Isro's experiments will help improve our understanding of space and its effects on biology and micro-gravity. One of the key experiments, she explains, will investigate the impact of spaceflight on six varieties of crop seeds. "This project aims to help understand how crops may be grown in space for future exploration missions. After the mission, seeds will be grown for multiple generations and plants showing preferred traits will be selected for genetic analyses." Another Isro experiment involves growing three strains of microalgae which could be used as food, fuel or even in life support systems and this will help identify the most suitable ones for growing in microgravity, she says. The Isro projects would also investigate how tardigrades - micro-animals on Earth that can survive extreme environments - would fare in space. "The project will examine the revival of dormant tardigrades, count the number of eggs laid and hatched during a mission, and compare space-flown versus ground control populations," Ms Mitra says. The other experiments aim to identify how muscle loss occurs in space and how it can be treated; and the physical and cognitive impact of using computer screens in microgravity. "The research will study how gaze fixation and rapid eye movements are affected by being in space, and how this may affect an astronaut's stress and wellbeing. The results could influence future spacecraft computer design and interaction," she says. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
What does lightning look like from space? See stunning photos from astronauts on ISS
It's safe to say that most of us have seen lightning here on Earth plenty of times – some of us have even been struck by it. But the natural phenomenon is one all but a few select individuals will ever have the chance to see from the vantage of 250 miles in orbit. Fortunately, a few astronauts over the years have been more than willing to generously share a glimpse of crashing lightning as seen from outer space. And you better believe it looks nothing like what we're used to seeing from the ground. The latest images of sky-splitting lightning came courtesy of two NASA astronauts who reached the International Space Station together in March after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. In May, Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain posted photos on social media site X of lightning roiling far, far beneath them. "This is what lightning looks like from the top down," McClain said in a post shared May 21. Here's a closer look at just what they managed to capture from above Earth's atmosphere. The images McClain and Ayers shared show electrostatic discharges – in other words, lightning – from above the clouds as they orbited in the International Space Station. In Ayers' post on X, she said she first observed lightning May 1 while suited up for a spacewalk outside the orbital outpost. She then managed to capture a few photos the next day, which she shared May 5. "I am so amazed by the view we have up here of our Earth's weather systems," Ayers posted. While it was unclear what part of Earth the lightning was striking in Ayers' photos, McClain said her images were captured over Alabama and Georgia. "Fast and furious, but also an incredible sight!" McClain said. The photos not only reveal the chaotic beauty of lightning, but could provide valuable orbital data to scientists studying the phenomenon back on Earth. Here's a look at some of the astronauts' photos: The photos were captured at speeds of 120 frames per second, with the depicted flashes only taking up one frame. The technique was pioneered by veteran NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is renowned for his astral photography. Pettit, who had arrived in September 2024 for his third and most recent space station stint, departed April 19, 2025, with two cosmonauts before safely landing in Kazakhstan on his 70th birthday. Ayers and McClain, who also recently made headlines for completing a rare all-female spacewalk, are among seven people living at the International Space Station. The crew of Expedition 73 includes three Americans, three Russian cosmonauts and one Japanese spacefarer from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa.) McClain and Ayers are both part of a SpaceX mission known as Crew-10 that reached the space station in March 2025. Their arrival with JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov paved the way for the NASA astronauts who crewed the doomed Boeing Starliner to depart with the Crew-9 mission. Also at the station is NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, who reached the outpost in April 2025 with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Lightning from space: Astronauts post stunning weather images on X
