You’ve Never Seen the Northern Lights Like This—Astronauts Share Incredible View From Space

Experiencing the northern lights is on many travelers' bucket lists. But a NASA astronaut recently scored the ultimate encounter when she captured a unique view of the natural phenomenon from the International Space Station (ISS).

On May 23, Nichole Ayers shared a video showing the aurora borealis spanning the Earth’s poles. "The Aurora showed up this last weekend when I wasn’t expecting it!" she wrote on X. "I was trying to capture the massive storms that went through both North and South America and got a nice surprise." Ayers headed to the ISS from Florida in March as part of NASA’s Crew-10 mission with SpaceX.

The northern lights are created when charged particles from the sun interact with gas molecules like oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere. These collisions create vibrant colors known as the northern lights. Ayers said the lights appeared around sunset over the northern U.S. and Canada.

In April, Ayers shared a spectacular time-lapse video of her view from ISS. "Tried my hand at a few aurora time-lapses, and they aren’t too bad! Working on exposures still but happy with the first attempt," she wrote on X. "We have the most amazing view, and I hope to share it with you!

For those of us on Earth, you might have a chance to see the northern lights tonight and tomorrow. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), they will be most visible across Canada and Alaska, with a lower likelihood forecast for parts of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Upper Michigan, and northern Wisconsin. Areas in Wyoming, South Dakota, northern Iowa, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine may also get a glimpse of the phenomenon.

The agency says that the best time to view the northern lights is between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, adding that the best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight.