Renowned NASA astronaut Don Pettit, known for his breathtaking space photography, has once again astounded viewers with a stunning new image captured from the International Space Station (ISS). This captivating photograph, shared on social media, showcases Earth as a dazzling display of streaking light, a mesmerizing effect achieved by using multiple long exposures to capture the glow of cities at night across various continents.
But the magic doesn’t stop there. This picture, taken during Pettit’s fourth orbital mission, boasts a unique feat, likely the first ISS image to capture both a sunset and sunrise simultaneously within a single frame. Above Earth’s limb, circular star trails, a testament to the ISS’s orbital motion, are visible, adding another layer of celestial wonder to the composition. If you look closely, you might also spot fleeting lightning flashes and the ethereal dance of the aurora, further enriching the visual tapestry of the night sky.
“This 30-minute time exposure through orbital night with our new 15mm wide-angle lens was able to capture sunset (on the left) all the way to sunrise (on the right),” Pettit, NASA’s oldest serving astronaut at 69, shared on social media. “I have never been able to capture this before but our new fast (14mm f1.4 and 15mm T1.8) wide-angle lenses are opening up observations previously not possible.” He further elaborated, “Visible are circular star trails above the earth limb created not from Earth rotation but from our orbital motion (pitch axis of ISS), cities streaking by (again due to orbital motion), lightning flashes, aurora, [and] atmospheric airglow (both strong green and fainter red).”
To capture this extraordinary image, Pettit employed a powerful Nikon Z9 camera equipped with an Arri-Zeiss 15mm T1.8 master prime lens. The shutter was left open for 30 seconds for individual exposures, which were later meticulously combined in Photoshop to form a composite equivalent to a 30-minute exposure. This meticulous process resulted in a breathtaking photograph that beautifully encapsulates the dynamic beauty of our planet and the wonders of space exploration.
Pettit’s photographic prowess has been showcased previously, most notably when he captured a remarkable image of the Polaris Dawn crew returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft after a history-making mission. His recent works, including this latest masterpiece, transcend the boundaries of photography, appearing more like works of art than mere snapshots of Earth. With each image, Pettit continues to inspire awe and wonder, reminding us of the boundless beauty that awaits us beyond our own world.
