An astronaut from NASA currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has shared a breathtaking photograph of an aurora illuminating the Earth.
Matthew Dominick has been living on the ISS since March and is scheduled to return home Sunday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Impressively, he captured this remarkable image from the Crew Dragon, which is now essentially his sleeping quarters.
Dominick noted that since another NASA astronaut, Nick Hague, arrived on the ISS last month via a different Crew Dragon named Freedom, he has been using his spacecraft, Dragon Endeavor, as his sleeping space.
“I’m gazing through a window of Dragon Endeavor that beautifully frames the red and green auroras as they swirl past Dragon Freedom, which is docked to the front of the International Space Station,” Dominick shared alongside the image.
Peering out a Dragon Endeavor window that frames red and green aurora streaming by Dragon Freedom docked to the front of the International Space Station. When Crew-9 arrived I moved out of my crew quarters on the ISS to make room for @AstroHague. I now sleep in Dragon Endeavor… pic.twitter.com/34XfeLXpcH
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 7, 2024
“Typically, we take most of our photos from the Cupola,” Dominick explained, “But sleeping here has offered such an amazing perspective. This view from the window this evening is spectacular. I miss my family and friends, but I’d have missed today’s incredible aurora if we had undocked.”
The photograph was chosen from a series of images taken to create a time-lapse of the aurora:
Red and green aurora appear to dance in a timelapse as we flyby looking out Dragon Endeavor’s window with Dragon Freedom in view. We shot a couple thousand images yesterday trying to get the settings, lighting, and framing just right across multiple orbital nights because the… pic.twitter.com/Y3IhlqTNrO
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
“Red and green auroras seem to dance in a time-lapse as we glide by, looking out Dragon Endeavor’s window with Dragon Freedom in sight,” Dominick wrote, noting that capturing “a couple thousand images” allowed for perfecting the settings and lighting over multiple passing nights “because the auroras have been extraordinary due to recent solar activity.”
During his seven-month stint in orbit, Dominick has shared numerous stunning photos and videos from the space station located approximately 250 miles above the Earth. While he is set to return home soon, another photography enthusiast, Don Pettit, has recently arrived at the ISS, ensuring that more amazing content will be available in the coming months.