Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams photographed the Milky Way rising above Earth's atmospheric airglow on April 13, 2026, while aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station.
This atmospheric glow, known as airglow, occurs when atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light as they release excess energy. It can also occur when ionized atoms and molecules capture free electrons, releasing photons.
Although airglow resembles auroras, it is energized by regular solar radiation, not by high-energy particles from the solar wind.
The image offers a dramatic view of these natural light phenomena from space.