The Aurora phenomena, in which beautiful polar lights can be seen in the arctic and antarctic regions of the world, are a gorgeous reminder that nature can really be beautiful when the magnetosphere is hit by a solar wind in which charged particles in said solar wind and magnetospheric plasma precipitate into the upper thermosphere and exosphere, you know? There’s nothing like some nice ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents which in turn emit really cool lights in the northern sky. Usually green lights. So pretty.
The stunning Northern Lights have been seen through plenty of videos and still pictures from earth, but NASA has upped the Aurora game by making yet another awe-inspiring video, this time featuring the Northern Lights from captured in 4K from the International Space Station. It’s simply gorgeous, and probably syncs up with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, man.
Even if you don’t have a 4K compatible monitor or TV, this high-definition time lapse is utterly fascinating. The Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis have never been captured in this fashion before, and seeing the space station orbit earth while the green light covers the high latitude of earth is stunning.
Everything about this video is incredible. I never thought NASA would make me want to own a 4K TV.
(Via NASA)
