NASA released a stunning image of Earth, shot from the International Space Station (ISS) when it flew roughly 240 miles overhead, capturing the dazzling city lights of Europe at night.
The image, taken on Jan. 22, shows the lights of Belgium and Netherlands at the bottom center, while the British Isles are slightly blocked by the solar array panels of the ISS. The image has North Sea at the left center and Scandinavia at the right center, beneath the end of the space station's robotic arm.
NASA has also released videos of Earth from the space, including the one in which Comet Lovejoy is visible over the Earth at night.
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With hardware from the Earth-orbiting International Space Station appearing in the near foreground, a night time European panorama reveals city lights from Belgium and the Netherlands at bottom center, the British Isles partially obscured by solar array panels at left, the North Sea at left center, and Scandinavia at right center beneath the end effector of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System or Canadarm2.NASAWith parts of two Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station in the foreground, this image from the orbital outpost shows the Gulf of Mexico and parts of Texas and Mexico. One of the Expedition 30 crew members took the photograph on Dec. 29, 2011. The two spacecraft are a Soyuz in the foreground, and a Progress, partially visible at top right.NASAThis photograph, taken by one of the Expedition 30 crew members on New Year’s Day of 2012, from onboard the International Space Station flying at a point above the Bahamas, shows most of the peninsular part of Florida. The scene includes Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center near frame center. The Gulf of Mexico is in the top portion of the photo.NASA
