The STS-135 crew of space shuttle Atlantis and the Expedition 28 crew of the International Space Station have been treated with great views of the Aurora Australis.
Here’s one shot the crews photographed, showing a panoramic view of the station/shuttle complex along with several different astronomical beauties! The aurora shows up brightly, but what else is in the image? Looking closely – and southern hemisphere observers might recognize some objects better – but do you see the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross?
This panoramic view was photographed from the International Space Station toward Earth, looking past space shuttle Atlantis’ docked cargo bay and part of the station, including a solar array panel. The photo was taken as the joint complex passed over the southern hemisphere. Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights can be seen on Earth’s horizon and a number of stars also are visible. Photo credit: NASA, July 14, 2011
Here’s another aurora photo from the ISS, where the green glow shows up even better. These images were taken on Thursday (July 14th) during one of the “night” passes for the station/shuttle. The astronauts mentioned the aurora during media interviews on Friday. “We saw an incredible Southern Lights aurora,” said STS-135 pilot Doug Hurley. “It was the best one I’ve seen in my two spaceflights. It was just unbelievable, the view out the cupola.”
One of the STS-135 Atlantis crew members took this photo of the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis while visiting the International Space Station. Part of the orbiter boom sensor system is seen, as it was attached on the end of the shuttle’s robotic arm (out of frame). A part of the port side wing of the shuttle is at right. Photo credit: NASA. July 14, 2011
Filed under: Manned Space Flight
