Astronaut Anil Menon Captures Rare Purple Aurora from Orbit

The brief video, captured with a 14mm lens at 1/4 second intervals, reveals the aurora blending into the night sky while artificial satellites trace silent paths through the darkness. Menon noted that the intensity of the purple hue stems from the unique light mixing occurring during this high-beta period, a time when the station experiences longer durations of sunlight. The footage has drawn significant attention from space enthusiasts, who praised the clarity of the thin blue line visible above the Earth’s horizon. By documenting these shifting spectral patterns, Menon continues to provide a rare perspective on the complex electrical activity occurring within the upper atmosphere.