NASA astronaut Bob Hines recently shared incredible images of aurora australis, or the southern lights, that were captured from the International Space Station (ISS) as it made its away over the Indian Ocean in close proximity to Antarctica. The colors you see are a result of electrically charged solar particles and atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere colliding with gases like oxygen and nitrogen.
For those wanting to see aurora australis in person, the best time is during the Southern Hemisphere’s fall and winter months, which spans from March through September. Aside from Antarctica, there are several great areas to visit if you’re interested including Queenstown (New Zealand), Mount Wellington (Tasmania), and Victoria (Australia). If the Aurora Station Space Hotel gets off the ground, this could be a common sight for tourists in the near future.
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Absolutely SPECTACULAR aurora today!!! Thankful for the recent solar activity resulting in these wonderful sights!,” said Hines.
