An Astronaut's Stunning Time Lapse Photo From International Space Station

nightqueen

Nov 9, 2019 7:00 AM EST

It's safe to say that the astronauts chilling up on the International Space Station have a pretty good view. Possible the best view of Earth (ha ha). Astronaut Christina Koch had some time on her hands, and made an incredible time lapse photo of the Earth from an 11 minute video. It's definitely not a perspective you see every day, and it is absolutely beautiful.

via Sci Tech Daily

This image isn't one photo: it's actually the composite of 400 photos taken over 11 minutes, while the International Space Station was traveling over Namibia towards the Red Sea.
via Giphy

The video shows artificial lights dotting the land and marking towns and small cities. There are also many fires burning across Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Thunderstorms flash over much of North Africa, distinguishable by their purplish color and erratic movements.
via Giphy

Above the surface of the Earth, there's a faint greenish glowing layer. This is the tracing of the upper atmosphere, and it's known as airglow.
via Giphy

The bright cities seen in the latter part of the video are Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Jizan in Saudi Arabia, and Doha in Qatar.