International Space Station – NASA astronaut Zena Cardman filmed a 51-second time-lapse from the cupola window on November 17, 2025, around 21:57 UTC, capturing a striking view of Earth’s aurora borealis during orbital night as the station moved toward dawn.

The clip opens in deep darkness with a glowing auroral curtain stretching along the planet’s curved horizon. Bright emerald waves rise into crimson and magenta rays created by solar particles colliding with atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen. Starfields, including Orion, shimmer above the display.

A thin red-orange airglow forms a glowing band near the Kármán line, marking the boundary between space and atmosphere. The time-lapse sweeps across Earth’s limb, revealing the station’s rapid motion over the North Atlantic or Arctic region.

City lights emerge as the view shifts southward. Houston appears as a bright, sprawling cluster in Texas, while Florida’s east coast forms a string of lights from Miami northward. Over the Gulf of Mexico, lightning flashes illuminate anvil clouds from brewing storms.

Dawn arrives midway through the clip. Golden light spreads across the horizon, fading the aurora and revealing swirling cloud decks over northern South America, possibly Venezuela or Colombia.

The final sweep shows massive Pacific storm systems. Towering cumulonimbus clouds pulse with lightning, their tops glowing pink against the brightening atmosphere, creating a dramatic contrast with the earlier auroral spectacle.

Cardman highlighted how Houston, Florida, the aurora, the Gulf, and South American storms all appear in a single frame, drawing over 120k views and sparking discussions about airglow, auroral colors, and storm lighting.

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