Astronauts' photos from the space station reveal the highs and lows of watching Earth from above in ·

27 Jun 2024, 00:00

2021-08-31T20:23:48Z

Astronauts on the International Space Station enjoy mesmerizing views of Earth. They orbit the planet every 90 minutes, so they see lots of sunrises, nighttime city lights, blue ocean water, and colorful landscapes.
The best photos taken from the space station in 2021 so far, which follow below, showcase bright auroras, hypnotizing crop patterns, and stunning mountain ranges. Some astronauts try to find their birthplaces on the globe, while others scope out National Parks to visit someday.
But as the climate crisis intensifies, the crew can also see devastating wildfires burning, as well as hurricanes like Ida and drought in the western US. The astronauts say this extreme weather is "sad" and "worrying."

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) drink in stunning views every day.

This composite photograph of Cuba, the Bahamas, and southern Florida was taken from the ISS on May 2, 2021. NASA

From more than 250 miles above the Earth, they can see city lights, mountain ranges, major storms, and melting glaciers.

The night lights of Istanbul, Turkey, split by the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn, May 10, 2021. NASA

Since the space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day.

The sun rises above the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia, as photographed from the space station, May 20, 2021. NASA

There are currently seven people on the station.

Mount Taranaki in New Zealand, captured from the ISS, January 25, 2021. Roscosmos

Some of them — including European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Megan McArthur — regularly post stunning photos on social media.

The night lights of Tokyo, Japan, February 27, 2021. NASA

Agricultural areas can make beautiful patterns, like these farms in the desert. It's not easy to pin down exact locations from space, but Pesquet said this was somewhere in Africa.

A desert peppered with blue and green circles where crops are grown, captured from the ISS. ESA/Thomas Pesquet

In some places, like Bolivia, those pretty patterns — and the crops growing within them — come at the expense of clearing tropical forests.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared this image on Twitter with the caption: "Star-like patterns in San Pedro Limón, Bolivia where areas of the tropical dry forest have been cleared for agriculture." ESA/Thomas Pesquet

When spaceships launch towards the station, carrying astronauts or supplies, those aboard the ISS often watch the rocket streaking towards them.

The plasma trail of Russia's Progress 77 resupply ship launching towards the ISS, July 26, 2021. NASA

Astronauts don't always know what they're looking at.

The far eastern, desert-covered portion of Western Australia, May 14, 2021. NASA

But sometimes they spot something distinct and dramatic, like a volcano spewing gas.

A volcano in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, captured from the ISS, April 2, 2021. Roscosmos

Occasionally, they even spy their homelands — like this picture Pesquet snapped of his birthplace in Normandy, France.

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped this image of Normandy shortly after arriving at the International Space Station, April 28, 2021. ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet

"How can something so beautiful be tolerated by human eyes?" NASA astronaut Mike Massimino told the Washington Post, referring to his feelings the first time he saw Earth from above.

Cape Town in South Africa is pictured with the sun's glint beaming off the South Atlantic coast, captured from the ISS, February 28, 2021. Roscosmos

Source: The Washington Post

But lately, some of the sights from the ISS have been more concerning.

—Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) August 20, 2021

"We've been very saddened to see fires over huge sections of the Earth, not just the United States," McArthur told Insider on a recent call from the space station.

Plumes of smoke billow from wildfires in Northern California, August 4, 2021. NASA/Megan McArthur

Other consequences of climate change are easily visible from the ISS, too. "We can see all of those effects from up here," McArthur said.

The declining Upsala Glacier in Patagonia, captured where it melts into water by astronaut Thomas Pesquet. ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet/A. Conigli

Pesquet photographed Hurricane Ida just hours before it struck Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.

Hurricane Ida as a Category 2 storm on August 28, 2021. NASA

"It's worrying to see these weather phenomena becoming stronger and more frequent from our vantage point," Pesquet said on Twitter.

Hurricane Ida as a Category 2 storm, photographed through a space station window port on August 28, 2021. NASA

Lately the astronauts can even see dwindling reservoirs along the Colorado River, which is in its first-ever official water shortage.

—Megan McArthur (@Astro_Megan) August 26, 2021

On the bright side, though, astronauts caught a stunning view of the southern aurora earlier this month.

The aurora australis above the southern Indian Ocean, in between Asia and Antarctica, photographed from the space station on August 2, 2021. NASA

"I wasn't surprised by the auroras, but I was kind of bowled over by how breathtaking they really were, and how mesmerizing it was to see it with my own eyes," McArthur said.