Nasa astronaut Matthew Dominick on Tuesday shared a mesmerising timelapse video from the International Space Station (ISS) depicting the moon setting against the backdrop of vibrant red and green auroras. The video also captures a sunrise illuminating the Soyuz spacecraft in a light blue glow.
Dominick took to X to express his fascination with the auroras and noted, and wrote “Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue.The aurora has been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens that recently arrived on Cygnus.”
“These breathtaking visuals are linked to recent solar eruptions that have caused widespread auroras around the world,” Dominick explained.
The video’s duration is around 1 minute and 48 seconds. Mathew also shared the configuration of the camera used to take the video as “15mm, T1.8, 1/3s exposure, 1/2 s interval”.
The geomagnetic storms behind these auroras are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. These storms have been particularly intense, resulting in impressive displays of the northern and southern lights.
The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) has mentioned that these storms are likely to continue, providing skywatchers with more opportunities to witness the celestial display.
“These geomagnetic storms, triggered by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s atmosphere, have been exceptionally intense, resulting in striking displays of the northern and southern lights,” stated the NOAA.
The ISS, orbiting Earth at about 420 kilometers, offers a unique vantage point for observing such events. Astronauts aboard the ISS frequently capture and share stunning images and videos of Earth and space, providing valuable insights and breathtaking visuals to the public.
As solar activity continues to increase, both scientists and enthusiasts are closely monitoring the skies, eager to document more of these mesmerising moments.
The recent surge in solar activity includes more frequent solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which, while disruptive to power grids and satellite communications, also enhance the chances of aurora observations far from the poles.
Dominick took to X to express his fascination with the auroras and noted, and wrote “Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue.The aurora has been amazing the past few days. Great timing for trying out a new lens that recently arrived on Cygnus.”
“These breathtaking visuals are linked to recent solar eruptions that have caused widespread auroras around the world,” Dominick explained.
The video’s duration is around 1 minute and 48 seconds. Mathew also shared the configuration of the camera used to take the video as “15mm, T1.8, 1/3s exposure, 1/2 s interval”.
The geomagnetic storms behind these auroras are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s atmosphere. These storms have been particularly intense, resulting in impressive displays of the northern and southern lights.
The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) has mentioned that these storms are likely to continue, providing skywatchers with more opportunities to witness the celestial display.
“These geomagnetic storms, triggered by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s atmosphere, have been exceptionally intense, resulting in striking displays of the northern and southern lights,” stated the NOAA.
The ISS, orbiting Earth at about 420 kilometers, offers a unique vantage point for observing such events. Astronauts aboard the ISS frequently capture and share stunning images and videos of Earth and space, providing valuable insights and breathtaking visuals to the public.
As solar activity continues to increase, both scientists and enthusiasts are closely monitoring the skies, eager to document more of these mesmerising moments.
The recent surge in solar activity includes more frequent solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which, while disruptive to power grids and satellite communications, also enhance the chances of aurora observations far from the poles.
Source : Times of India
