Aurora Borealis as seen from the International Space Station

These pictures from the International Space Station (ISS) show the greens and reds of the aurora borealis dancing in the skies over Canada.

The Northern Lights are most often seen from the ground – especially in high-latitude areas close to the Arctic – but can also be observed from space.

The natural phenomenon takes place when the Earth’s magnetic field is disrupted by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles released by the Sun.

In this footage from January 2025 the city lights are visible on the ground below as the ISS orbits over the Canadian landscape. The space station then soars into the sunrise 259 miles (417km) above the Atlantic.