NASA astronaut Bob Hines, who is aboard the International Space Station, has released pictures of the spectacular Northern Lights he was able to see from space.. It was observed on August 17 and was the result of a moderate solar flare..

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" Grateful for the recent solar activity that caused this incredible spectacle,” Hines tweeted..

Absolutely SPECTACULAR aurora today! Thankful for the recent solar activity resulting in these wonderful sights! pic. twitter. com/aOD45XSWaX.

— Bob “Farmer” Hines (@Astro_FarmerBob) August 18, 2022.

On August 17, the Earth was swept by a moderate magnetic storm, which was associated with a solar flare.. Our star threw a stream of charged particles towards the planet, which led to perturbations of the geomagnetic field.

As Space writes.

com, the aurora borealis occurs when the Sun sends a swarm of charged particles towards the Earth, this event is called a coronal mass ejection. Since the particles have an electrical charge, our planet's magnetic field attracts them..

" Auroras are also observed on other planets.

In most cases, the magnetic storms that engulf the Earth are harmless.. But strong events like these can lead to disruptions in the operation of satellites, communications and power lines..