Astronaut Jessica Meir Films Aurora Australis From SpaceX Dragon

Green ribbons of light snaked across the upper atmosphere in a rare display of the aurora australis captured from orbit. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir recorded the timelapse while aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, providing a perspective of the Southern Lights that appears far more intimate than ground-based viewing.

The footage reveals the phenomenon dancing directly beneath the spacecraft rather than shimmering along the distant horizon. Meir described the experience as emotionally evocative, noting that the intensity of the light show resulted from a recent solar event. While the Northern Lights often garner more public attention, the southern counterpart remains an elusive spectacle, typically restricted to the remote expanses of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

Auroras occur when charged solar particles collide with the Earth's magnetic field, which funnels energy toward the poles. Upon striking oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere, these particles trigger the vibrant glow characteristic of the display. Oxygen typically produces the signature green hues seen in Meir’s footage, while nitrogen contributes shifts of blue, purple, and pink. From the vantage point of a spacecraft, these atmospheric reactions transform into vast, glowing bands that envelop the planet’s polar regions.