Matthew Dominick, a NASA astronaut and US Navy test pilot, has once again captured the world’s attention with an incredible photograph taken from space. This time, it’s a breathtaking image of lightning striking over India, a sight captured during a season of intense thunderstorms and monsoon showers. Dominick, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Crew-8 mission, shared the awe-inspiring picture on X (formerly Twitter), showcasing the power of nature from a unique perspective.
The caption accompanying the image simply reads, “Lightning at night over India.” Dominick further explained the technical details behind this stunning capture, revealing, “When trying to capture lighting in an image I use burst mode and hope lighting strikes in the frame. I was super happy when this lightning strike ended up in the middle of the frame. No crop needed. 1/5s, 85mm, f1.4, ISO 6400.”
The post has garnered over 10.11 lakh views and more than 13,000 likes, with users expressing their amazement and posing questions about the image. One user inquired about two arcs visible at the top of the image, to which Dominick responded, “Different layers of Earth’s atmosphere.” Another user asked about the blur in the city lights, wondering if it was caused by camera shake, atmospheric conditions, or the motion of the orbit. Dominick explained that the streaks in the water near the bottom of the image are caused by the movement of boats, while the blur over the city is a combination of light haze, clouds, and the streaking effect of the space station’s orbital speed.
The image has ignited a sense of wonder and curiosity, with viewers marveling at the beauty of Earth from space and the power of nature. Dominick’s photograph serves as a reminder of the incredible phenomena that occur on our planet, captured in a moment of awe-inspiring beauty.
