NASA astronaut Don Pettit continues to showcase breathtaking views of Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). Recently, he shared a captivating video of the northern lights on X (formerly Twitter), depicting the vibrant phenomenon illuminating the night sky over city lights.
In his January 5 post, Pettit described the scene as "Flying over aurora; intensely green," although he did not specify the location of the imagery. Pettit, who arrived at the ISS in September via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, is renowned for his exceptional photography skills while in orbit.
Throughout his current six-month mission, Pettit has captured various stunning images. In October, he produced a long-exposure photograph showcasing the bright city lights of northern Mexico as dynamic streaks. He also created a colorful sphere resembling Jupiter using food coloring aboard the ISS.
In November, he documented the trail left by SpaceX's Starship during its sixth test flight, and in December, he shared a sharp image of distant stars and galaxies, aided by a homemade star tracker.
Pettit’s latest mission marks his fourth spaceflight, making him the oldest active member of NASA's astronaut corps at 69 years old. His previous missions include two long-duration stays on the ISS in 2002-2003 and 2011-2012, alongside a two-week mission in 2008.