Space

Southern lights seen from space

Auroras appear when charged particles – streaming from the sun – get trapped by Earth’s magnetic field and flow toward our planet’s two geomagnetic poles. Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) witnessed green curtains of aurora over the Southern Hemisphere on July 14, 2011. A solar wind stream hitting Earth’s magnetic field on July 12th caused the aurora and southern lights.

In the panoramic shot of the aurora australis below, you can see the boom sensor system attached to the shuttle’s robotic arm, and a portion of the ISS solar panels. (Click on the picture for an expanded view).

Image Credit: NASA/STS-135 crew

The same aurora display was visible from Earth’s surface at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. This image also shows the SPUD microwave telescope on the left. (Click on the picture for an expanded view).

Image Credit: NASA/Robert Schwarz

Bottom line: The aurora australis was visible from the International Space Station on July 14, 2011. Astronauts captured stunning pictures of the emerald curtain over the Southern Hemisphere, as did a photographer on the ground at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.

Via NASA

Are there both northern lights and southern lights?

Posted 
July 20, 2011
 in 
Space

Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.

Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More from 

Editors of EarthSky

View All