Earth Aurora Borealis Views: December 28, 2025 | International Space Station

Earth Aurora Borealis Views: December 28, 2025 | International Space Station

[Note: Video Date Error] Expedition 74 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Chris Williams: "The view out of the International Space Station (ISS) cupola can be stunning. This timelapse video captures the Aurora Borealis from the port window of the ISS cupola window as we orbit over the Northern US and Canada. You can also see the Moon set behind the station solar panels and even a shooting star! The shimmering ribbons of green and red light are caused by oxygen in the upper atmosphere that has been ionized and excited by solar activity."

Earth auroras have different names depending on the pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.

The Cupola is a panoramic control tower for the International Space Station, a dome-shaped module with windows through which operations on the outside of the station can be observed and guided. It is a pressurized observation and work area that accommodates command and control workstations and other hardware. Through the robotics workstation, astronauts control the station’s robotic arm. This helps with the attachment and assembly of station elements much like the operator of a building crane perched in a control cabin. Crew members in the Cupola can communicate with other crew members in another part of the station or outside during spacewalk activities. Spacewalks can be observed from the Cupola along with visiting spacecraft and external areas of the station with the Cupola offering a viewing spectrum of 360 degrees.

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineer: Sergei Mikaev

NASA Flight Engineer: Chris Williams

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center
Image Details: Nikon  Z9, 28mm, f/1.4, ¼ sec exposures, 1 second interval
Duration: 50 seconds
Capture Date: Dec. 28, 2025
Release Date: Jan. 26, 2026

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