Stunning aurora filmed from space by Russian cosmonaut

Russia’s cosmonaut films vibrant aurora from space, capturing red, pink, and green lights during the strongest solar storm in two decades.

Reuters

January 21, 2026

Stunning aurora filmed from space by Russian cosmonaut

The Aurora Borealis, also known as the "northern lights", appears above the Earth in this still image taken from a video captured by Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov aboard the International Space Station (ISS), released January 20, 2026.

Sergey Kud-Sverchko/Reuters

Aurora lights shimmering over Earth were filmed on camera by Russia's Space Agency Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov from the International Space Station on Tuesday (January 19).

"During yesterday’s strongest storm in two decades, there was plenty of red glow. It felt as if we were literally sailing inside that light," Kud-Sverchkov wrote in his Telegram channel on Tuesday, January 20.

The phenomenon is caused by solar storms emitting high-speed charged particles colliding with gases in Earth’s atmosphere. The most common colour seen during this display is green, although other colours such as pink and red are sometimes visible as well.

-Reuters