The universe is filled with mesmerizing beautiful scenery. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared a stunning video of the Aurora Australis or Southern Light from the International Space Station (ISS).
In the video, which was shared on the Twitter account @Thom_astro, the blue ocean below, against a backdrop of shimmering white clouds accompanied by the orange glow of Earth's atmosphere, makes the whole video look magical.
Une aurore australe sous la lumière de la lune
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Clouds compete for attention in this aurora timelapse over a blue ocean.#MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/r9y1t2MgPp
— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) September 14, 2021
Another image shared by Pesquet earlier this week also shows off the stunning Aurora Australis in red, green, and blue. Pesquet himself is diligent in sharing documented images from unique perspectives, which not many people on Earth are lucky enough to see in person.
Although not as famous as the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights, the Aurora Australis is just as beautiful and captivating. Auroras are best seen at night, but are actually caused by the Sun.
During a solar storm or coronal mass ejection, the Sun releases a large number of energetic particles that travel through space at high speed. When solar energy and negatively charged space dust reach planet Earth, it is channeled by the Earth's magnetic field lines at the north and south poles.
There, the particles react with gases in Earth's atmosphere, producing auroras and a beautiful glow in the sky. Oxygen glows green and red, while nitrogen glows blue and purple.
