In November, Pettit captured the trail SpaceX's giant Starship megarocket made in Earth's atmosphere during its sixth-ever test flight. And in December, he posted on X a surprisingly sharp shot of distant stars and galaxies, which he took with the aid of a homemade star tracker.

Auroras are breath-taking natural light displays that occur when charged particles from the sun interact with gases in Earth’s atmosphere.

Astronaut Donald Pettit shared a mesmerizing 9-second video of auroras from the ISS, sparking debate online. While some viewers praised the stunning visuals, others questioned the authenticity, suggesting AI manipulation.

NASA astronaut Don Petit's video of an aurora has gone viral on social media. He is currently in the ISS for approximately six months along with two cosmonauts.