ISS astronauts capture stunning 4K footage of aurora borealis

Astronauts on the International Space Station shared their view of the auroras borealis and australis across the Earth in an ultra-high definition (UHD) 4K time-lapse video published on 17 April. Nasa has partnered with technology company Harmonic since 2015 for a non-commercial UHD channel aimed at showing the"breathtaking beauty and grandeur of space".

The bright dancing lights of the auroras are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemispheres. They are known as aurora borealis in the north and aurora australis in the south.

Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are the most common. Shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet have been reported. The lights appear in many forms from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an eerie glow.