This rare red aurora made a veteran astronaut do a double-take

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Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Even after months in space, there are still things that will surprise you.

Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted a photo Monday of a curiously red aurora he spied from the International Space Station.

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Describing the phenomenon as "spectacular," the red aurora was a rare treat as it typically appears only during an intense solar storm.

I've never seen this before- red #aurora. Spectacular! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/j2DVejt974— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 22, 2015

Kelly also tweeted a video of the aurora turning from red to purple as he orbited around the Earth. He is currently two months into his year-long mission aboard the ISS, and we can only expect more spectacular photos to come.

Yesterday's #aurora was an impressive show from 250 miles up. Good morning from @space_station! #YearInSpacehttps://t.co/wZJOxrD0EQ— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 23, 2015

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