The sight of an aurora—whether it be from the ground, up in the air, or even in space—is sure to give pause and conjure wonder. Over the years NASA has showcased hundreds of amazing photos of auroras taken by astronauts in space, scientists on the ground, and from wonderful contributors around the globe.
Below, in no particular order, you will find the 33 best aurora photos NASA has ever featured. If you want to learn more about any of the photos taken below, click the link in the photo credit to visit the original post on NASA.
1. Lekangsund, Norway
2. Expedition 32, ISS
3. Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
4. ISS
5. Donnelly Creek, Alaska
6. Tromsø, Norway
7. Northern Norway
An aurora (astralis in the south and borealis in the north) is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth’s magnetic field into the atmosphere. [source]
8. Delta Junction, Alaska
9. Expedition 23, ISS
10. Queenstown, New Zealand
11. Alberta, Canada
12. Expedition 46, ISS
13. Yukon, Canada
14. Whitehorse, Yukon
15. Expedition 29, ISS
16. Alberta, Canada
17. Expedition 42, ISS
18. Whitehorse, Yukon
19. ISS
20. Christchurch, New Zealand
21. Grand Forks, North Dakota
22. ISS
23. Kvaløya Island, Norway
24. Expedition 29, ISS
25. Expedition 30, ISS
26. Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska
27. ISS
28. Harstad, Norway
29. ISS
30. Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland
31. ISS
32. Expedition 41, ISS
33. Cascade Mountains, Oregon
