Fresh aurora pictures from a NASA astronaut is making us green with envy.
Earlier this month, International Space Station astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli captured absolutely stunning pictures of a flag-like green aurora stretching from the southern regions of the Earth far up into space.
“The auroras from up here are spectacular,” NASA‘s Moghbeli told Space.com during a Wednesday (Feb. 21) ISS press conference about science. Of the green auroras Moghbeli saw on Feb. 15, she said it was one of her space mission highlights witnessing “some green, some red that just swept across the surface of the Earth.”
Related: ‘Absolutely unreal:’ NASA astronaut snaps amazing photo of auroras from space station
The ribbon-like aurora happen on Earth when our sun sends energetic particles towards Earth’s upper atmosphere. Our planet’s protective magnetic field in turn funnels the particles towards the poles, and the solar particles glow colorfully as they interact with our atmosphere.
The astronauts on board ISS right now are seeing particularly spectacular aurora because the sun is nearing its 11-year maximum of solar activity. More flares and coronal mass ejections of particles means more auroral activity on Earth, too.
“I love it,” Moghbeli said, “because every time I look out the window, I’m in awe. Every time, it’s a little different, even if we’re passing over the same part of the Earth. Whether the lights are different, or the clouds or the seasons or the sun angles, every single time I’m amazed at how alive and beautiful our planet is.”
If you’re looking to snap your own photos of auroras, be sure to check out our guide on how to photograph auroras, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.