In a single photograph taken by an astronaut in the International Space Station, a mind-blowing shot of bright lights of northern lights was captured.
The picture captured the surface of the earth along with craters. A mild glow from the earth's atmosphere was captured in this picture that was taken at night by an astronaut from the international space station. The green glow that was captured could be seen from the ground as well. The image also shows snow and ice that reflect light from the stars and the moon.
The picture was not taken recently, but was shot in the month of February, 2012. However, NASA's earth observatory cropped the picture to see the stunning northern lights so beautifully ornamenting the space. The picture was recently updated on the NASA website.
According to NASA's Earth Observatory, a golden halo which is also called airglow was identified around the planet. The airglow is also a result of the collision between the radiations from the sun and the atmosphere.
The northern lights was captured at night as it spanned for many miles across Canada. A circle of ice, or known as the Manicouagan impact crater, is visible in the picture at the bottom right-hand corner of the photograph.
The space agency website explained "Geologists know that a large asteroid slammed into Earth roughly 214 million years ago, creating a crater about 100 kilometers across on the landmass that is now part of Canada."
Northern lights are created when solar winds and magnetically charged particles collide with the atmosphere. The northern lights can be usually spotted in Scandinavia, especially Norway. At times, it can also be visible in the UK.
Apart from the captured northern lights, the photograph also captured human footprint. The artificial lights helped identify locations of some northern settlements. Places such as Labrador City and Goose Bay were spotted in this photograph.