by 
AN ASTRONAUT on board the International Space Station has snapped a rare sight to share with mere earthlings- the Aurora Australis as seen from space.
The photo of the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) was taken during a geomagnetic storm on May 29 that was most likely caused by an ejection of plasma from the Sun five days earlier.
At the time, the ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean with the astronaut most likely to be looking towards Antarctica (not visible) and the South Pole.
The aurora - a sinuous ribbon shape that separates into discrete spots near the lower right corner of the image - is visible above a thick cloud cover, with the faint blue line of the upper atmosphere also pictured above the Earth's curvature.
While the dominant coloration of the aurora is green, there are faint suggestions of red left in the centre of the image.
Several stars appear as bright pinpoints against the blackness of space at image top right.
The Northern (Aurora Borealis) and Southern Lights are among the most breathtaking views astronauts are privileged to see on board the ISS.
The constantly-shifting displays of coloured ribbons are caused by charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field, resulting in collisions with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere, which emit photons that form the aurora that we see.
Kewl
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