Image: Aurora Australis Observed from the International Space Station
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 14:30
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Among the views of Earth afforded astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), surely one of the most spectacular is of the aurora. These ever-shifting displays of colored ribbons, curtains, rays, and spots are most visible near the North (aurora borealis) and South (aurora australis) Poles as charged particles (ions) streaming from the Sun (the solar wind) interact with Earth`s magnetic field.