This is what the aurora borealis looks like from space

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, is a natural phenomenon that has enchanted humans for thousands of years. The light display in the sky is caused by cosmic rays, solar wind and magnetospheric plasma that interact to create a astonishing and mysterious spectacle.

We have all seen images of such a beautiful display from movies and magazines, but we have always seen it from the same perspective: down below. Until now.

During her last trip in space on board of the International Space Station, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shot a sequence of still images that she patched together and used to make one of the most spectacular videos ever seen portraying this the lights display.

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