A NASA astronaut captured and shared a video of the northern lights viewed from the International Space Station.
The footage provides a rare orbital perspective of a geomagnetic storm, illustrating how solar activity affects the Earth's atmosphere and visibility of the aurora borealis.
The astronaut recorded the shimmering lights over the northern hemisphere. The display was triggered by a geomagnetic storm caused by three [1] coronal mass ejections, as forecast by the Space Weather Prediction Center.
"I wasn’t expecting it," the astronaut said.
The visual display was significant enough to be visible from various points on Earth. On May 18, 2026 [2], the aurora was forecast to be visible in Michigan skies.
"Nice surprise," the astronaut said.
The astronaut noted the intensity of the event while observing the lights from the station. "A lot going on right now," the astronaut said.
Coronal mass ejections occur when the sun releases bursts of plasma and magnetic fields. When these particles collide with Earth's magnetic field, they create the glowing lights known as the aurora. Because of the strength of these specific ejections, the lights were seen farther south than usual [1].
The International Space Station offers a unique vantage point for monitoring such events, allowing researchers and crew members to see the scale of the aurora across the planet's curvature.
“"I wasn’t expecting it,"”
The recording of this event from the International Space Station underscores the volatile nature of solar cycles. When multiple coronal mass ejections occur in close succession, the resulting geomagnetic storms can push the aurora borealis into latitudes where they are rarely seen, potentially impacting satellite communications and power grids on Earth.
