NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shares SpaceX Dragon aurora australis time-lapse
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir just dropped a jaw-dropping time-lapse of the southern lights (aurora australis) from a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
The video shows bright green streams of light swirling over earth, which Meir described as "As opposed to the previous aurora I've seen, this one danced and snaked its way directly below us, putting on quite a show. I am in awe of this evocative phenomenon."
It's a rare, planet-sized light show you don't get to see every day.
Solar particles light Earth's upper atmosphere
Auroras happen when charged particles from the Sun hit earth's upper atmosphere, lighting up oxygen and nitrogen to create those wild colors, especially green near the poles.
Besides looking awesome, these lights help scientists understand how solar activity affects our planet's magnetic field and space weather.