NASA astronaut releases stunning Northern Lights timelapse

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station has released an incredible video of the a real-life display of the Northern lights from his position 250 miles (402 km) above Earth.

Jack Fischer tweeted a time-lapse of the Aurora Borealis taken while on board the International Space Station as it travelled at 17,500 mph (28,164 kph).

‘People have asked me what a ‘burrito of awesomeness smothered in awesome sauce’ is…,’ he wrote in a caption. ‘Well folks, it looks like this… awesome sauce is green.’

Fischer, 43, who was sent to the International Space Station in April, captured the incredible footage last weekend.

Auroras seem to be a favourite topic of the astronaut who earlier this month tweeted another image of the Northern Lights to celebrate on July 4.

Auroras are created when charged particles from the sun enter Earth’s atmosphere. The particles are usually deflected by the Earth’s magnetic field, but some enter the atmosphere and collide with gas particles.

These collisions emit light, in many colours although pale green and pink are common.

The time-lapse comes just days after experts issued a series of warnings about unusually high solar activity, which could affect satellites and disrupt power supplies.

The American Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) monitors the surface of the sun and observed a huge eruption earlier this month.

This sent a stream of radiation hurtling towards the Earth, which is likely to continue bombarding the planet in the coming days.

As well as causing potential disruption, the activity has also fuelled the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, which have been visible further south than is usual.