An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a stunning image showing both the moon and the aurora borealis illuminating the skies of the northern part of the U.S. West Coast and Canada.

The picture, taken on March 19, shows bright clusters of light from major cities located just below, including Calgary, Edmonton, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. The lights of Seattle and Vancouver appear slightly blurred—likely, NASA says, due to inclement weather.

Near the center of the image, the moon is seen just beginning to rise above Earth's limb.

Astronauts on the space station, orbiting the Earth at around 17,500 miles per hours, witness this phenomenon multiple times a day—they experience some 16 moonrises and moonsets within each 24 hours period.

Also visible in the pictur

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