X

See 'Insane' Aurora Views From Space Snapped by NASA Astronaut

NASA's Matthew Dominick delivered a unique space perspective on an ethereal aurora dancing over Earth.

Headshot of Amanda Kooser
Headshot of Amanda Kooser
Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read
Dragon spacecraft window with green and red aurora dancing over Earth beyond.
Enlarge Image
Dragon spacecraft window with green and red aurora dancing over Earth beyond.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick photographed a swirling aurora from the International Space Station.

 Matthew Dominick/NASA

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick is an extraordinary astrophotographer, and he has one of the best views in the solar system from on board the International Space Station. On Monday, Dominick witnessed an otherworldly view of glowing green aurora radiating across the curve of the planet. He shared the glorious imagery on X this week.  

Dominick has been training his camera out the window of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft that's docked to the ISS. Endeavour was Dominick's ride to space in March as part of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The Dragon is scheduled to take him home soon, but Crew-8's return to Earth has been delayed due to the potential weather impacts of Hurricane Milton. 

"This is the view out the window this evening… I miss my family and friends but we would have missed today's insane aurora if we had undocked today," Dominick tweeted on Oct. 7.  

Dragon spacecraft window with green and red aurora dancing over Earth beyond.
Enlarge Image
Dragon spacecraft window with green and red aurora dancing over Earth beyond.

Here's the full aurora view from NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick.

 Matthew Dominick/NASA

Massive Hurricane Milton (here's how to track the storm) is another one of Dominick's photography targets. He shared a sobering view of the powerful hurricane on Oct. 8 as seen from the same spacecraft window as the aurora. What a difference a little change in geography and timing can make. The space station witnesses 16 sunrises and sunsets each day, so astronauts have many opportunities to photograph what's going on down on the planet.

Dominick later posted an aurora timelapse video on Oct. 8. 

"We shot a couple thousand images yesterday trying to get the settings, lighting, and framing just right across multiple orbital nights because the aurora was amazing due to recent solar activity," he said. 

The sun is in a time of high activity, shooting out flares and sending coronal mass ejections at Earth. Those outbursts of solar material can trigger spectacular auroras. The northern lights were particularly active in early October and more light shows can be expected this month. Stay tuned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center for the latest on aurora-watching possibilities.

Seeing an aurora from the ground is an ethereal experience, but thanks to Dominick, you can get a sense of what it's like to be an astronaut in orbit, zipping over one of nature's most impressive spectacles.