Crew-2 Astronauts See Their Last Aurora Display Before Heading Back to Earth

The Crew-2 astronauts are on the way back to Earth today but before they departed the International Space Station, they were treated to one more aurora display.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who is one of the four astronauts part of the Crew-2 mission, shared the photo of the stunning aurora display on his Twitter account.

The aurora display has been triggered by the sun, which blasted out a series of bursts of magnetized plasma last week.

The Crew-2 mission is set to splash back to Earth today at 10:33 p.m. Returning to the planet along with Pesquet are three more astronauts: Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Akihiko Hoshide.

Crew-2 Astronauts Catch One More Aurora

The Crew-2 astronauts, who are scheduled to return to Earth today, have been treated to one more brilliant aurora display before leaving the International Space Station (ISS).

Thomas Pesquet, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and one of the members of the Crew-2 mission, shared the photo of the aurora display on his personal Twitter account.

"We were treated to the strongest auroras of the entire mission, over north America and Canada," Pesquet said in his tweet.

The ESA astronaut described the aurora display as amazing and higher than the astronauts' orbit.

What Caused the Aurora Display?

According to a report by Space, the aurora display witnessed by the Crew-2 mission astronauts as well as the other residents of the ISS is due to "the sun has been acting out lately, waking up to its new period of activity after years of quietness."

The report says that this new period of activity is actually part of a regular 11-year cycle whose next peak is expected to take place in 2025.

This particular aurora display has been "triggered by a series of coronal mass ejections, bursts of magnetized plasma that the sun blasted out last week within a short period of time."

Related Article: New Giant Solar Flare Releases Particles That Could Lead To Wide-Area Radio Blackouts | NASA Captures the Sun Activity

The Crew-2 Mission Returns Today

After multiple delays, the Crew-2 mission is finally on its way back to Earth. The mission is scheduled to splash back to the planet today at 10:33 p.m.

The delays in the return of the mission are due to the delays in the launch of the upcoming Crew-3 mission.

Along with Thomas Pesquet, returning to Earth are the three other members of the Crew-2 mission: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

The Crew-2 mission was launched to space in April by NASA and SpaceX. The mission was launched to the ISS by the latter's Falcon 9 rocket.

The four astronauts are aboard a Crew Dragon capsule they have named Endeavour.

Read Also: ISS Food Is Not All Bland, Says French Astronaut; But How Exactly Is Food Packed For Outer Space?

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Written by Isabella James