NASA

The greenish glow of an auroral display sweeps around Earth's south polar region in this photo, captured from a vantage point on the International Space Station. The shuttle Atlantis and its robotic arm, as well as one of the station's solar arrays, loom up in the foreground.

The pilot for NASA's last space shuttle flight, Doug Hurley, says one of the highlights of Atlantis' trip to the International Space Station was seeing an "incredible" display of southern lights — and after seeing these pictures, I'd have to agree with him.

This photo from the space station shows the greenish auroral glow sweeping around the south pole, following the edge of the atmosphere. Atlantis is in the foreground with its robotic arm extended into the center of the frame, and one of the station's gold-colored solar arrays juts in the right edge. You can even see the stars hanging in the night sky.

 Another picture provides a more detailed view of the shimmering lights, with Atlantis' inspection boom poking through the frame.

NASA

Thursday night's southern lights shimmer in a picture taken from the International Space Station, with Atlantis' inspection boom angling through the picture.

The southern lights, like the northern lights, are sparked when electrically charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field. For more amazing views of Atlantis' auroras, check out NASA's photo gallery for the shuttle mission, as well as Space.com's report about the pictures.

More marvelous views from Atlantis' mission:

• Father and son see shuttle's start and end
• Space station takes center stage
• Aircraft captures unique view of launch
• Students reach high for amazing launch photos
• Last shuttle launch marks the end of an era
• Crowds flock to Atlantis' last countdown
• Shuttle Atlantis' last trek to liftoff
• NASA's last shuttle seen from space

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