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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Holly Patrick

Rare red aurora glows above Earth in extraordinary space video

A Nasa astronaut captured an extraordinary video of a red aurora glowing above the Earth.

Auroras, also known as the northern lights or southern lights, are displays of an intricate dance of particles and magnetism between the Sun and Earth called space weather, according to Nasa.

Their colour depends on the type of gas that is hit and where that gas is located in the atmosphere.

Oxygen excited to different energy levels can produce green and red.

"Red auroras of this size and vibrancy are rare, occurring two to three times during a six-month mission to the International Space Station," Nasa astronaut Don Pettit captioned the footage.

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