NASA Astronaut captures stunning Northern lights from International Space Station. Watch video

A NASA astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) was left stunned by a beautiful display of the Northern Lights while trying to photograph active storms on Earth. Astronaut Nichole Ayers shared the video above showing aurora lights dancing over the Earth’s poles on May 23.

Aurora borealis is visible from space at certain times, one of which was captured on camera by Ayers as she surveyed the Earth's atmosphere. In her video, filmed on of the ISS's cameras, a green-purple aurora can be seen above the northern U.S. and Canada.

"The Aurora showed up this last weekend when I wasn’t expecting it!" Ayers wrote on X. "I was trying to capture the massive storms that went through both North and South America and got a nice surprise."


"I'm also fascinated by just how many satellites are orbiting the Earth at any given moment. There's so much to share with you all!"


Ayers travelled to the ISS aboard a SpaceX flight in March 2025, as part of the stations' 72 and 73rd expeditions. She is scheduled to return in July this year, after spending six months aboard the ISS.

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NASA astronaut surprised by Northern Lights

The astronaut revealed that the aurora lights became visible around sunset across parts of the northern United States and Canada. With favorable space weather conditions, residents in those regions on Earth may have also witnessed the display.

During the aurora event, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a Geomagnetic Storm Warning, forecasting KP index levels to rise to 6 on a scale of 9. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) said the aurora forecast had a Kp index of 6 over the weekend that Ayers said she filmed the footage. Indexes in this range make the lights appear “brighter” with “more auroral activity”, according to the SWPC.

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How are northern lights created?

The vivid northern lights, or aurora borealis, occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's atmosphere. These energized particles, carried by solar wind, are drawn toward the planet’s magnetic poles, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules high in the atmosphere. These interactions produce the brilliant colors visible in the sky.

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Different gases create different hues: oxygen emits green and red light, while nitrogen produces purples and blues. The result is a breathtaking natural light show dancing across polar skies.

In March, Ayers launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida as part of NASA’s Crew-10 mission with SpaceX. Since arriving, she has been sharing stunning views of Earth from orbit. One of her early time-lapse videos, captured in late April, showcased a spectacular aurora display from space.

Ayers said in another social media post: "We see beauty, while scientists see data. As I continue taking pictures of our beautiful Earth, I'm constantly thinking about how these pictures could help researchers and scientists get the information they need.

"This weekend, I was taking pictures of city lights over Italy, and we went right over Mt. Etna. I knew immediately where we were because of the void of lights where the volcano sits. It's an active volcano that is currently erupting."