File picture: The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is seen within the sky in Ivalo of Lapland, Finland September 27, 2019.
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ALEXANDER KUZNETSOV
Eclipses could also be wondrous, however nothing beats seeing the northern and southern lights from house.
That is the phrase Wednesday from a pair of NASA astronauts residing aboard the Worldwide House Station for the previous six months.
Astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway advised The Related Press that the house station’s place prevented them from seeing totality throughout final week’s photo voltaic eclipse, however they nonetheless loved a partial eclipse. They mentioned they will attempt to catch subsequent week’s lunar eclipse, too.
“We’re hoping for the perfect. It must be fairly superior,” Hathaway mentioned.
Meir mentioned the perfect cosmic exhibits are auroras. The solar is coming off its busy season, making the northern and southern lights extra dramatic and sensible, she famous.
After one particularly giant blast of plasma from the solar, “the inexperienced dancing aurora” appeared proper beneath them as an alternative of off within the distance close to the poles, she added.
“It appeared like a snake making its manner proper beneath us and that was a extremely extraordinary one,” mentioned Meir, the house station’s commander. “You may see the inexperienced gentle bouncing off the white exterior exterior of the house station.” Meir has additionally taken particular pleasure in whipping up culinary delights in orbit, donning an area cat-adorned apron whereas sampling among the station-grown mustard greens and kale. She joined crewmate Anil Menon, carrying a chef’s toque, for his first cooking episode of “Chez ISS” this week.
Arriving final month in a Russian capsule, Menon packed the apron and toque for his more-to-come cooking present. Meir’s baggage included a piccolo: She carried out John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Ceaselessly” with the Boston Pops on July 4. Her half was prerecorded in house.
Meir additionally took up a elaborate scarf and glittery violet bell bottoms, significantly extra informal than the gown she flew on her final station journey that noticed her participate within the first all-female spacewalk.
Whereas Hathaway’s culinary and musical abilities could also be missing, he mentioned he is by no means bored. “There’s at all times one thing to do,” he mentioned, together with weekend karaoke nights that includes the guitar and different musical devices.
Launched in February, Meir, a marine biologist, and Hathaway, a Navy captain, are attributable to return to Earth through SpaceX as soon as their replacements arrive subsequent month. The present crew consists of three People, three Russians and one French astronaut.
Printed on August 20, 2026
