A NASA astronaut shared a stunning image of a meteor shower and the northern lights from space

NASA via AP

NASA astronaut Christina Koch works on the International Space Station on April 8, 2019.

• NASA astronaut Christina Koch posted a photo on Instagram Monday with a unique view from the International Space Station.
• It shows both a meteor shower and an aurora lighting up Earth at night.
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Even at night, astronauts have an unparalleled view of the Earth.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch posted a photo to Instagram Monday that shows an aurora and a meteor shower lighting up the night sky over the Northern Hemisphere.

"Can you see shooting [stars] from space? Turns out yes!" Koch wrote.

She said the meteor shower was the first of the decade, and the astronauts on the International Space Station were lucky enough to catch them happening at the same time as the northern lights.

The meteor shower is an annual event called the Quadrantids, which are best viewed in early January each year.

According to NASA, the Quadrantids are "considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers" and typically have a two-day peak. This year, they happened between January 3 and 4.

"Quadrantids are also known for their bright fireball meteors," according to NASA. "Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak."

Koch is currently working aboard the ISS for her first spaceflight. She is scheduled to record the longest single spaceflight by a woman with an expected total of 328 days in space by the time she returns in February.

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