A powerful November 2025 solar storm generated stunning auroras but also heightened radiation in orbit.
Severe solar storm triggered auroras, high radiation, sending ISS crew into shelter
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Powerful solar storms illuminated the sky on Earth in mid-November 2025 with bright auroras. At the same time, astronauts in the International Space Station took additional safety measures against the radiation burst. Russian cosmonauts, such as those, were requested to dedicate one night in a shielded lab module, which was more heavily shielded, whereas others were in their usual quarters. Flight controllers also worked on which modules to avoid giving instructions. This act highlights the unseen threat of spectacular space weather.
Dazzling Auroras and Radiation Risk
According to NASA, for people on Earth, even intense solar storms are mostly safe. NASA notes that Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere block most dangerous radiation, echoing the EPA’s remark that our atmosphere “works like a shield” against solar particles. But the picture changes above the atmosphere.
In November 2025, a storm from sunspot AR4274 unleashed huge coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that triggered bright auroras across the Northern Hemisphere. Space.com reported that those CMEs carried “heavy, radioactive ions” that can harm astronauts in orbit.
Astronauts Take Shelter on ISS
For example, even flight controllers told three Russian cosmonauts to spend the night in the station’s Destiny laboratory, while the U.S. and Japanese crew remained in their usual quarters. NASA reported that the U.S. segment “slept in their crew quarters” while the Roscosmos cosmonauts “camped out in the lab”.
Destiny’s thick walls provide extra shielding: Aviation Week notes it “provides better protection” against high radiation. The crew was also advised which other station modules to avoid during the storm. For ISS crews, such precautions remain routine to limit exposure.
