Best place to watch the aurora borealis? The International Space Station
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German astronaut Alexander Gerst has done it again.
The European Space Agency has released a bigger and better time-lapse video, including 12,500 images captured by the now-ex International Space Station "photographer."
This is a six-minute long, 4K high-definition quality voyage that offers stunning views of the fluorescent green aurora borealis. As his "tripod" whips around our planet at an average speed of 17,150 m.p.h., viewers are treated to moving portraits of lightning storms, the Milky Way, and a "race" alongside other orbiting space craft, including a Soyuz module (at 00:53).
Mr. Gerst is a geophysicist and volcanologist, and the third German to have worked aboard the ISS. During his six months in space (May - November 2014) on the Blue Dot mission (named after Carl Sagan's description of Earth), he conducted experiments in physical science, biology, and human physiology as well as radiation research. He did one space walk and was involved in the docking operations of six freighter supply ships, including the private commercial cargo ships sent up by SpaceX.
This is the second time-lapse video produced by Gerst. On Sept. 9, 2014, a 1.5-minute video was posted to the ESA's YouTube channel offering somewhat similar views. That was more of a teaser trailer to this latest video.
