We’ve all seen this movie: Intrepid human space explorers arrive at a strange new planet and settle into orbit only to discover—cue the creepy, theremin-heavy soundtrack—the local welcoming committee isn’t so welcoming. But there’s nothing sinister about this image of ethereal blue tendrils that seem to reach out to the underbelly of the International Space Station (ISS). French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, on his second European Space Agency mission aboard the ISS, captured a particularly dazzling aurora in mid-August 2021. Pesquet has spent more than 300 days (and counting) in space,…
