Check out astronaut’s stunning ‘science and art’ photo from the ISS

American astronaut Don Pettit has just shared another dazzling image captured from the International Space Station 250 miles above Earth.

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“So full of techno-cool and art-cool,” American astronaut Don Pettit wrote in a social media post describing his latest image from the International Space Station (ISS). The remarkable photo is filled with light from stars and cities, with the trails created by keeping the camera shutter open for an extended period. We can also see the airglow on Earth’s horizon, sunlight glinting off the SpaceX’s distant Starlink satellites, several spacecraft docked at the ISS, and parts of the station itself, too. “I think these are a blend of both science and art,” Pettit wrote. “There is so much techno-geek stuff to see, or you can simply sit back and think ‘How cool.’” Star trail from ISS; I think these are a blend of both science and art. There is so much techno-geek stuff to see, or you can simply sit back and think “How cool”. This one shows atmospheric airglow, yellow-green at 120km and the fainter upper red at 400km, star trails moving in… pic.twitter.com/c58CeJxIgh — Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) December 3, 2024 Referring to the image, which was captured from the ISS as it orbited about 250 miles above Earth, Pettit added: “This one shows atmospheric airglow, yellow-green at 120km and the fainter upper red at 400km, star trails moving in arcs on the left and straight lines on the right, Starlink satellites flashing sunlight off their solar panel, the Cygnus cargo vehicle (left), my Soyuz vehicle (center), and the Russian laboratory module MLM (right).” Pettit, who arrived at the space station in September on his fourth orbital mission, and who at 69 is NASA’s oldest serving astronaut, has earned a reputation over the years for capturing creative imagery from the space-based laboratory. One of his notable shots from recent months shows a crewed SpaceX capsule streaking brightly across the blackness of space as it returned to Earth at the end of the historic Polaris Dawn mission that saw the first-ever privately funded spacewalk. Another stunner by Pettit shows moonlight reflecting off the Amazon basin in South America, with the striking scene prompting Pettit to describe it as looking like “flowing silver snakes.” The International Space Station (ISS) had to steer clear of a piece of space junk on Monday — the second such maneuver that the orbital outpost has had to make in a week. “The ISS is orbiting slightly higher today after the docked Progress 89 cargo craft fired its engines for three-and-a-half minutes early Monday,” NASA said in a post on its website. “The debris avoidance maneuver positioned the orbital outpost farther away from a satellite fragment nearing the station’s flight path.” The sixth Starship mission captured from the ISS. NASA / Don Pettit NASA astronaut and current space station inhabitant Don Pettit seems to have the luck of the stars. During SpaceX’s sixth test flight of its massive Starship rocket from Boca Chica, Texas, on Tuesday, the International Space Station (ISS) just happened to be passing directly above — some 250 miles above, to be precise — giving keen photographer Pettit the perfect opportunity to capture the Starship’s launch. Stunning footage from the International Space Station (ISS) shows a glorious-looking aurora shimmering above our planet. Captured last month and shared by the ISS on X over the weekend, the footage (below) begins with a faint green tinge on Earth’s horizon as seen from the space station some 257 miles up. But as the video continues, the green tinge develops into something far more spectacular, all against a gorgeous star-filled backdrop. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.

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