# @europeanspaceagency on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHTsvPlMgvm
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/35582206-europeanspaceagency-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/af0a1e3329.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-17T16:50:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** J.L.Lopez (@xandler80) — https://gondola.cc/xandler80

## Caption

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘️ 

Today, we’re painting the sky green—space style! To celebrate, we’re sharing some dazzling views of Earth’s aurorae, captured by astronauts aboard the iss.

These mesmerising lights aren’t just a lucky charm—they’re a celestial dance of charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth’s atmosphere. Oxygen at lower altitudes gives us the iconic emerald glow, while nitrogen sprinkles in shades of blue and violet.

But here’s a fun fact: solar storms can supercharge aurorae, making them even more vivid! And with the Sun at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, we’re in for some truly spectacular natural fireworks.

Like legends of leprechauns and pots of gold, aurorae have inspired myths across cultures. The Finnish ‘Firefox’ is said to dash across the snow, its tail sending sparks into the sky, while the Sámi people see them as the spray of a whale’s tail.

And for our grand finale—the last clip in this carousel wasn’t taken from space but from Kiruna, Sweden! Here, an auroral camera watches the sky every night, helping scientists study space weather and predict these magical light displays.

What do they look like to you? A cosmic rainbow? A glowing river in the sky? Let us know in the comments!

📹 europeanspaceagency / NASA - thom_astro 
📸 ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet
📸 ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet
📸 ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet
📸 ESA/NASA– astro_alex_esa 
📸 ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet
📹 All-sky camera, Kiruna Atmospheric and Geophysical Observatory (KAGO) within the irf_space . Data provided as part of ESA’s Space Weather Service Network.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 17,515
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 70

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ESA - European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency | https://gondola.cc/europeanspaceagency | Government Organization |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Producer |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Editor |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Social Media Manager |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Publisher |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Copywriter |
| J.L.Lopez | @xandler80 | https://gondola.cc/xandler80 | Community Manager |

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