© RT Ruptly / Ruptly
The stunning time-lapse footage of the aurora lights is the product of the Cupola - an observatory module with seven illuminators that open up a 360-degree view - which has allowed for the recording of incredible footage from between September 7 and 12.
While some Inuit (indigenous northern peoples) believed that the spirits of their forefathers are dancing in the flickering aurora, there is a logical explanation for the northern lights ... and it isn't a fire bridge to the sky built by the gods, either, as Norse mythology suggests. It is a natural light display in the sky, usually in high latitude regions - although there is a southern equivalent, known as aurora australis.
The lights originate from disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere by solar wind, during which particles ionize in the upper atmosphere and emit lights of varying color and complexity.
Often the display as observed in the nations bordering the Arctic Ocean, appearing as a curtain of lights. However, sometime the night canvas is seen to be full of arcs or spirals, often following lines of force in the Earth's magnetic field. Most are green in color with traces of pink, red, violet and white.
As for the Cupola module that captured the footage - it was built by the European Space Agency and became operational onboard the ISS in 2010. It has seven windows including one 80cm-wide (31 in) - the largest ever used in space. The Cupola provides the ISS crew with the visibility to support the control of the space station and external viewing of Earth.
Comment: Aurorae occur when charged solar particles reach local magnetic field lines, where they enter the planetary atmosphere and excite its atoms and molecules. As they deactivate, the particles produce light emission.
The Aurora Borealis, the so called 'Northern lights' have been observed recently heading 'south', providing a spectacle even in parts of England. While the Aurora Australis, or the 'Southern lights' have been seen further north in New Zealand than usual. Researchers have also recently identified increased electrical activity moving towards equatorial regions.
With the increasing comet/volcanic dust loading of the atmosphere (an indicator of this dust loading is the intensification of noctilucent clouds we are witnessing) which is accentuating electric charge build-up, we can expect to observe more awesome light shows and other phenomena.
The winning Electric Universe model, and much more related information, are explained in the book Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection by Pierre Lescaudron and Laura Knight-Jadczyk.