Watch: NASA astronaut captures rare Southern Aurora from space after solar flare

Posted on by Alex Obi
A spectacular display of the Southern Lights has been captured from orbit, with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir sharing a timelapse video showing the aurora dancing beneath a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft following a recent solar event.

The video, posted on social media, offers a rare view of the Southern Aurora, or Aurora Australis, from space as charged particles from the Sun interacted with Earth’s magnetic field, creating vivid light displays over the Southern Hemisphere.

Watch the Southern Aurora From Space
Sharing the timelapse, Meir described the experience as unlike previous auroras she had witnessed from orbit.

“A timelapse view from our SpaceX Dragon of the spectacular southern aurora seen in yesterday’s post, a result of a recent solar event,” she wrote on X. “As opposed to the previous aurora I’ve seen, this one danced and snaked its way directly below us, putting on quite a show.”

She added that the phenomenon left her “in awe” because of its beauty and emotional impact.

The footage shows bright green aurora bands moving across Earth’s atmosphere beneath the spacecraft, creating a striking visual display rarely seen from the ground.

Solar Flare Triggered the Light Show

The aurora followed a recent solar eruption monitored by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre, active region AR 4461 produced an M1.8-class solar flare at 06/1401 UTC. The event was linked to a filament eruption and a subsequent coronal mass ejection (CME), with analysis still underway.

NOAA said an Earth-directed component of the CME is currently anticipated and could reach Earth around June 8, based on preliminary estimates.

The agency noted that solar flares are bursts of energy from the Sun that can sometimes affect radio communications and contribute to auroral activity when solar particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

Aurora Seen Amid Ongoing ISS Operations

The aurora sighting came during a period of heightened attention around operations aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

In an earlier social media post, Meir said the crew was safe despite ongoing activity on the orbiting laboratory and highlighted the Southern Aurora as one of the remarkable sights visible from space.

“There is a lot going on right now on the ISS, but fortunately, we are all safe and witnessed a spectacular southern aurora show yesterday thanks to a recent solar event,” she wrote.

NASA recently confirmed that astronauts aboard the station temporarily sheltered inside their docked spacecraft while teams assessed an air leak in the Russian segment of the ISS. The precautionary measure was later lifted after further evaluation by NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos.

Why Auroras Look Different From Space

Auroras occur when charged particles from the Sun collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing colourful displays near the polar regions.

While people on the ground usually see auroras from below, astronauts aboard spacecraft and the ISS can observe them at eye level as they pass over Earth’s poles. This unique vantage point often reveals the full scale and movement of the glowing atmospheric curtains.

Meir’s latest timelapse offers a striking example of that perspective, capturing the Southern Lights flowing directly beneath the spacecraft as the Sun’s activity continues to influence space weather around Earth.

(Edited by : Priyanka Deshpande)

First Published: Jun 8, 2026 3:48 PM IST

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