Footage shot by Astronaut Zena Cardman, commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission, released on Monday (November 17) showed a dazzling display of the Northern Lights as seen from the International Space Station.

About the sighting, Cardman said: "I've still never seen the aurora from below, but up here, it's a frequent show. Last week's was especially good. See if you can spot Houston, Florida, and the northern lights all in one frame before we head out across the Gulf and some great lightning storms over South America at sunrise."

These light shows are called aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, in the Northern Hemisphere, and aurora australis, or Southern Lights, in the Southern Hemisphere. They occur near the poles because Earth's magnetic field channels charged particles from the Sun toward those regions, where they collide with the atmosphere and create shimmering curtains of colour.

Auroras have been more frequent recently because the Sun is at the peak of its 11‑year activity cycle, known as solar maximum, when its magnetic poles flip and solar activity intensifies. The current cycle's peak began around last year and is expected to last at least through the end of this year, offering more frequent and vivid auroral displays.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

IN SPACE (RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 17, 2025) (NASA/ZENA CARDMAN - Must on-screen courtesy NASA/Zena Cardman / Editorial Use Only) (MUTE)

1. ACCELERATED VIDEO OF AURORA BOREALIS SEEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION