Astronaut Scott Kelly shares picture of the Aurora Borealis taken from the International Space Station

American astronaut Scott Kelly has shared an amazing picture of the Northern Lights from his current home on the International Space Station (ISS).
Kelly posted the picture on Twitter, which he was able to access through the ISS's satellite internet connection.
It is one of many pictures that Kelly has shared of the natural phenomenon in the last few days, as the Earth experiences a much more
vivid light show than usual.
The bright Aurora Borealis was visible from the Earth too, and was caused by a geomagnetic storm that had been sparked by high levels of solar winds.

Our sun was very active again last night! #GoodMorning from @Space_Station. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/syWP7QrPmM

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 8, 2015

The unusually powerful storm meant that the Northern Lights were visible much further south than normal, with stargazers being able to see them clearly from certain areas in northern England.
The increased visibility in the UK was also due to a 'coronal hole' near the equator of the sun, which had aligned with Earth.
Spring and Autumn usually bring stronger lights, but this year the conditions were perfect for a particularly spectacular aurora.

The daily morning dose of #aurora to help wake you up. #GoodMorning from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/Ar6ScCbUPo

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 7, 2015

Before becoming an astronaut, Scott Kelly was a fighter pilot in the US Navy.
In 1994, he became a Naval test pilot, and since beginning his career he has logged more than 8,000 flying hours, almost a year in total, in 40 different aircraft and spacecraft.
At the time of writing, Kelly has spent the last 195 days aboard the International Space Station, and is one of six humans currently in space.