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Quadrantid meteor shower looks like pure magic in astronaut's view from ISS

Shooting stars and an aurora share the spotlight in a stunning image from Christina Koch at the International Space Station.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
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The Quadrantid meteor shower gave ISS astronauts quite a show.

NASA/Christina Koch

Us Earth-bound folks got to experience the annual Quadrantid meteor shower this month as a show of bright lights shooting across the dark night sky. The astronauts on board the International Space Station saw these same meteors, but with a very different backdrop.

"Can you see shooting starts [sic] from space? Turns out, yes!" NASA astronaut Christina Koch tweeted on Monday along with a composite image showing what the Quadrantids look like from space. 

Koch's view is a multi-layered delight. It has the scenic meteor streaks, a glittering puddle of city lights and the ectoplasm-green glow of the Northern Lights aurora along the horizon.

The ISS crew witnesses and documents what's happening down below, both tragedies and wonders. This meteor shower definitely counts as a wonder.

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Originally published Jan. 6, 9:26 a.m. PT.