NASA astronaut Don Pettit recently captured breathtaking images of the Northern Lights from the International Space Station (ISS). The 69-year-old astronaut posted a short video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the ghostly phenomenon flickering over nighttime city lights.
Pettit, who is known for his off-Earth photography skills, has been sharing his stunning views of space with the public since his arrival at the ISS in September aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. His recent posts have included a long-exposure photo of city lights in northern Mexico and a sphere of water that resembled Jupiter.
The current six-month-long ISS mission is Pettit’s fourth spaceflight, making him the oldest active member of NASA’s astronaut corps. He has previously spent time on the ISS twice before, in 2002-2003 and 2011-2012, as well as flying a two-week mission to the lab in 2008.
Pettit’s interest in photography began when he created a colorful ersatz world using food coloring on the ISS. This creative hobby has allowed him to capture unique moments from space, including SpaceX’s Starship rocket test flight and distant stars and galaxies with the aid of a homemade star tracker.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/iss-astronaut-captures-green-auroras-dancing-over-city-lights-video