A NASA astronaut has captured the extraordinary sight of an aurora display over Earth.

Jack Fischer shared the footage of the Aurora Borealis captured from on board the International Space Station on Sunday, reports .mirror.co.uk.

The time-lapse video was captured at a height of 250 miles (402 km) above the Earth and at a speed of 17,500mph (28,164 kph).

It showed the vibrant green colours dancing around the Earth’s atmosphere.

Fischer is currently on board the International Space Station and shared his enthusiasm online.

‘People have asked me what a ‘burrito of awesomeness smothered in awesome sauce’ is...,’ he tweeted.

‘Well folks, it looks like this… awesome sauce is green.’

Aurora Borealis is the result of collisions between the Earth’s gaseous particles and matter released by the Sun’s atmosphere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The pictures comes only days after scientists predicted an ‘interplanetary shock’ was on its way which could lead to more sightings of the Northern Lights.

The phenomenon is caused by increased solar activity, with the sun currently moving in a way which is contorting its magnetic fields, which will eventually have to realign.

Scientists have described this as like the sudden release of a huge, twisted, astronomical rubber band.

This explosion will send vast amounts of energy shooting in to space, creating phenomenon such as solar flares and the less well-known coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.