                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 July 13

                             Auroras from Space
     Image Credit: ESA, NASA, ISS Expedition 74; Capture: Sophie Adenot;
           Music: Circle of Light (Patrick Hawes & Grace Davidson)

   Explanation: What do auroras look like from above? Behold! From the
   ground, auroras dance high above clouds, frequently causing spectacular
   displays. From space, they look a bit different. As the International
   Space Station (ISS) circles the Earth every 90 minutes, it sometimes
   sees auroras below that are active on the night side. A one-hour
   time-lapse video showing auroras from above was captured about two
   weeks ago from the orbiting ISS. The ISS -- and all objects in low
   Earth orbit -- will pass well above green auroras but just a bit above
   red glowing auroras. The auroras' electron and proton streams are too
   thin to be a danger to the ISS, just as clouds pose little danger to
   airplanes. From orbit, as magnetic fields change, auroras can appear to
   squiggle and crawl like giant snakes. The featured one-minute video was
   captured by French astronaut Sophie Adenot of the ISS Expedition 74
   crew.

    Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
                                    1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: asteroid double
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

