Rare Purple Space Aurora
NASA Astronaut Photographs Rare Purple Aurora From International Space Station Over Kyrgyzstan
Anonymous
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir photographed an unusually vivid purple-and-green aurora from the International Space Station over Kyrgyzstan on September 7, 2026, at an altitude of about 255 miles. The display occurred during minor G1 geomagnetic storms caused by a high-speed solar-wind stream from a coronal hole combined with lingering coronal mass ejections, according to NOAA. Green light generally comes from excited oxygen, while nitrogen emissions and overlapping atmospheric colors can produce violet, purple and pink hues. The orbital perspective revealed distinct layers of the aurora along Earth’s curved atmosphere, offering scientists another way to study how solar activity interacts with the magnetosphere.
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NASA’s Earth Observatory cataloged the image as astronaut photograph ISS075-E-88592. It was captured at 21:46 GMT, with the ISS’s nadir over northern Kyrgyzstan at approximately 41.9° north and 72.2° east, using a Nikon Z9 camera with a 15mm focal length.
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Jessica Meir wrote that she had “never before seen such a brilliant purple wavelength in the aurora,” adding that it “certainly makes me want to kiss the sky,” an apparent reference to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.”
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From orbit, the aurora’s altitude structure appeared more distinctly than it typically does from the ground: a tight green band traced Earth’s limb, while purple rays rose above it. The perspective showed the emissions in profile rather than looking up through overlapping layers.
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A long-exposure series made from multiple September 7 images combined the aurora with star trails, moonlight, passing satellites and the lights of Central Asian cities, showing the broader visual environment around the display.
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Astronauts tend to see auroral activity more frequently near the spring and fall equinoxes because the Russell-McPherron effect can make Earth’s magnetic-field geometry especially favorable for transferring solar-wind energy into the magnetosphere.
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