Flying Over the Earth at Night

APOD: 2012 March 5 – Flying Over the Earth at Night.

Astronomy Picture of the Day is part of my morning routine when I first get to my desk. But this video is above and beyond. Great for Sunday morning. Check out the amazing sights…

From the site: “Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white clouds, orange city lights, lightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas. On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth’s thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes.”

-Jeff