Solar flare seen by SOHO 19 July
A stunning image showing Aurora Australis - the Southern Lights - glowing over Concordia station in the Antarctic, one of the remotest places on Earth, on 18 July 2012. It was taken by ESA-sponsored scientist Alexander Kumar and his colleague Erick Bondoux from about 1 km from the station, located in the Antarctic at 75°S latitude. The French-Italian Concordia station's programme of research includes glaciology, human biology and the atmosphere. ESA uses the base to prepare for future long-duration missions beyond Earth. During the winter, Concordia is under almost total darkness, with an average temperature of -51°C and a record low of -85°C. It is an ideal place to study the effects on small, multicultural teams isolated for long periods in an extreme, hostile environment. Auroras occur frequently over both the North and South polar regions, but are often difficult to see from populated areas.
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