In a world filled with breathtaking vistasranging from luxurious hotels showcasing the iconic New York City skyline to serene resorts nestled among majestic mountains or overlooking tranquil oceansfew views can compare to the unparalleled sight offered by the International Space Station (ISS). On Wednesday, astronaut Don Pettit, who is not only a skilled astronaut but also an acclaimed photographer and the inventor of the innovative zero-G coffee cup, shared a mesmerizing time-lapse video of the ISS soaring over the dazzling aurora borealis.

The video, which can be viewed on X, spans approximately 50 seconds and captures the ISS as it gracefully orbits our planet. Initially, the footage presents a stunning view of Earth, but around the 27-second mark, the enchanting aurora begins to make its appearance from the left side of the frame. Within moments, viewers are treated to a breathtaking spectacle: a snaking, flowing mist that elegantly envelops parts of the Earth.

The scene transforms dramatically as the Earth becomes illuminated with a vibrant green glow, reminiscent of fantastical visuals from a science fiction movie or a high-budget video game. This captivating aurora doesn't linger long, however; it quickly fades from the camera's view as the perspective shifts back into the vastness of space.

Despite its ethereal and misty appearance, the aurora borealis is the result of complex natural phenomena. The glowing display is created through interactions between solar winds emitted by the sun and Earths magnetic field. These interactions are most frequently triggered when the sun undergoes coronal mass ejections, a process that ejects large amounts of plasma into the Earth's magnetic field.

Currently, the sun is at its solar maximum, and with aurora season in full swing, we can anticipate that these stunning green lights may soon stretch further into the United States, much like the astonishing displays witnessed last year.

In a fascinating twist, Pettits time-lapse of the aurora was made possible because the ISS was flying in an unusual backward orientation. Normally, the ISS does not maneuver in this manner, but this time it was preparing to welcome new crew members. On Tuesday, the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft launched, carrying NASA astronaut Jonny Kim along with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, all destined for a docking at the ISS.

To facilitate this docking maneuver, the entire space station was flipped 180 degrees, a move that was successfully executed three hours after the Soyuz launched. This reorientation is critical for the docking process, and Pettit hinted at this maneuver in his tweet, mentioning changes in altitude, changes in latitude. While such maneuvers are not routine, they are carried out almost every time a Soyuz spacecraft approaches the ISS. The ISS intentionally lowers its altitudetypically around one kilometeralong with the flip, which allows for a quicker docking process compared to other spacecraft.