Aurorae From Space: NASA Just Won the Time-lapse Game

I've been feeling pretty cool lately. I've been making some time-lapses and doing a lot of aerial work. It's hard not to feel cool when you're taking shots from 300 feet in the air. Then, NASA came along and made a time-lapse 250 miles up in space. I no longer feel cool.

We're lucky that an agency dedicated to scientific research also takes the time to showcase the raw beauty of that which it investigates. The Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis are produced when the solar wind forces charged particles from the magnetosphere into the upper atmosphere, where they radiate energy in the form of visible light. Here, at the bottom of the troposphere, they make for an amazing nighttime show. Up in the middle of the thermosphere aboard the International Space Station, the view is positively stunning. Aurorae flit and flutter as the Earth and stars glide past. The sequence is shot in 4K, so be sure to set it to full screen, and let the experience envelop you. As the aurorae dance above the lights of human civilization, we gain yet another reminder of the vastness of what lies beyond our mortal coil and the beauty it holds. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

Incredible footage! A great credit to the people who made it happen.

I wouldn't call it "lucky" that NASA takes the time to showcase such things, though. This is ultimately marketing material for them, so it is for their own benefit as well as ours. Public perception of NASA is important in what funding they receive, hence the need for marketing.

realy the music ? gets the epic footage so less impact we dont feel in space at all