'This one danced and snaked': Nasa astronaut captures aurora australis from space – video

# 'This one danced and snaked': Nasa astronaut captures aurora australis from space – video

A breathtaking timelapse of the aurora australis captured from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has revealed the southern lights in unprecedented motion, with Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir describing the phenomenon as "ethereal and emotionally evocative." The footage, released Tuesday from the Crew-12 mission, shows shimmering green and red curtains of light snaking across the Antarctic atmosphere, providing scientists with new visual data on how charged solar particles interact with Earth's magnetic field.

Meir, a veteran spacewalker and marine biologist who launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule in March 2026, recorded the timelapse during a routine orbital pass over the Southern Hemisphere. The video, which has since garnered millions of views on social media, captures a rare dynamic display of the aurora australis—the lesser-studied counterpart to the northern aurora borealis.

"As opposed to the previous aurora I've seen, this one danced and snaked its way directly below us, putting on quite a show," Meir wrote on social media. "I am in awe of this ethereal and emotionally evocative phenomenon."

The science behind the spectacle

Auroras occur near Earth's polar regions because the planet's magnetic field channels charged particles—primarily electrons and protons—from the solar wind toward the magnetic poles. As these particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper atmosphere, typically between 100 and 300 kilometers (62–186 miles) altitude, they excite those atoms, which then release energy in the form of visible light.

Oxygen atoms produce green and red hues, while nitrogen contributes blue and purple tones. The "dancing" effect Meir described results from fluctuations in solar wind speed and density, which cause the auroral curtain to ripple, fold, and shift in real time.

Dr. Elena Vasquez, a space physicist at the University of Colorado Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, told the Science Desk that Meir's footage offers unique observational value.

"What makes this video scientifically significant is the perspective," Vasquez said. "From the ground, auroras appear as overhead displays. From orbit, astronauts see the full, three-dimensional structure—the vertical extent, the layering, and the way the magnetic field lines funnel the energy. This timelapse captures a highly dynamic event that we rarely see documented with such clarity."

Crew-12 mission context

The SpaceX Crew-12 mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center on March 12, 2026, is the latest in a series of rotational crew flights to the International Space Station under Nasa's Commercial Crew Program. Meir, along with three other astronauts, has been conducting microgravity research, Earth observation, and technology demonstrations during the four-month expedition.

The aurora australis footage was captured using a standard DSLR camera mounted to a window of the Dragon spacecraft during a free-flight phase, prior to docking with the ISS. Nasa officials confirmed the video was taken at an altitude of approximately 420 kilometers (260 miles).

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, solar activity has been elevated in recent weeks, driven by the current solar cycle peak. The agency reported a 40% increase in geomagnetic storm events compared to the same period in 2025, a trend that has produced more frequent and intense auroral displays at both poles.

Broader implications for Earth observation

The footage arrives as scientists increasingly rely on crewed spacecraft for real-time Earth monitoring. Unlike automated satellites, astronauts can adjust camera settings, track unpredictable phenomena, and provide qualitative descriptions that enrich quantitative data.

Dr. Marcus Chen, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology, noted that Meir's emotional response—"in awe of this ethereal and emotionally evocative phenomenon"—mirrors what researchers themselves experience when analyzing auroral dynamics.

"These are not just pretty lights," Chen said. "They are visible manifestations of space weather—the same solar particles that can disrupt GPS, radio communications, and power grids. Understanding how auroral structures evolve helps us predict geomagnetic disturbances that affect infrastructure on Earth."

Forward-looking analysis

As the solar cycle approaches its predicted maximum in late 2026, astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions to the Moon will have increasing opportunities to document auroral activity from unique vantage points. The Crew-12 timelapse underscores a growing capability: combining human observation with high-resolution imaging to capture transient atmospheric events that automated sensors might miss. For scientists, Meir's footage is not merely a beautiful video—it is a data set that reveals how Earth's magnetic shield interacts with the sun in ways still not fully understood. The coming months, with heightened solar activity, promise even more opportunities for discovery.