European astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared the stunning images with his followers on Twitter.
(Image credit: ESA/Thomas Pesquet)
Posted on 11/08/2021 12:29:02 PM PST by BenLurkin
The sun has been acting out lately, waking up to its new period of activity after years of quietness. This variation is part of the sun's regular 11-year cycle, the little understood ebb and flow of sunspots and solar flares that is next expected to peak in 2025.
The spectacle must have been quite something since astronauts do get treated to aurora displays fairly regularly. Pesquet himself has shared many images of the magnificent polar lights on his Flickr account since his arrival at the orbital outpost with SpaceX Crew-2 in April.
The latest aurora display was triggered by a series of coronal mass ejections, bursts of magnetized plasma that the sun blasted out last week within a short period of time. The second outburst, travelling a bit faster than the first one, cannibalized its predecessor on the way, resulting in a much more powerful plasma cloud than originally expected.
For Pesquet and his Crew-2 companions, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide, the latest aurora provided a memorable conclusion to their six-month orbital adventure. Crew-2 is set to return to Earth today. You can watch their departure from the orbital outpost aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule here.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Fine Young Cannibal Suns just drive me crazy.
Nice.
Now I’ve got that song stuck in my head.
Because that's when you know you have a really good solar flare.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.