Aurora australis viewed from space

Six years ago next month, NASA launched IMAGE ("Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration") - the first spacecraft designed to study Earth's magnetosphere. Built for a two-year mission, IMAGE continued operations for almost four extra years until it went silent on December 18, exceeding all its scientific goals and revealing the previously invisible magnetosphere to us for the first time.

Thankfully, IMAGE survived long enough to record what may be its most spectacular observations. In September, IMAGE captured a stunning ultraviolet view of the aurora australis four days after a record-setting solar flare fired plasma towards Earth.

Click here for a larger image and more info - and just wait'll you see the QuickTime video!