Skip to main content

Gorgeous nightscape shared by outgoing ISS astronaut

NASA is aiming to launch four more astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, October 5. Shortly after their arrival, Samantha Cristoforetti and three of her colleagues will depart the orbital outpost and return to Earth after a six-month stint in space.

Determined to enjoy the enviable view before returning to terra firma, the Italian astronaut has shared a gorgeous nightscape (below) captured from the station some 250 miles above Earth.

Starting over the U.K. before passing over France, the stunning footage continues over Europe and all the way to the Indian Ocean. The bright spots denote major urban conurbations — London, Paris, Rome, and Naples are easy to spot — while the flashes of light at the right of the picture mark unfolding storms happening far below.

“Good night from space!” Cristoforetti tweeted on Sunday. “Flying from the North Atlantic over Europe & on to Northern Africa & the Middle East until the Indian Ocean. Spectacular views in this nearly cloudless night a few days ago. Always special to fly down the boot of Italy!”

Good night from space! Flying from the North Atlantic over Europe & on to Northern Africa & the Middle East until the Indian Ocean. Spectacular views in this nearly cloudless night a few days ago. Always special to fly down the boot of #Italy! #MissionMinerva @esa @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/d76NK7KIEM

— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 2, 2022

Some ISS visitors engage more on social media than others. Cristoforetti has been particularly active, sharing various insights with her half-a-million TikTok followers and one million Twitter fans about life on the station.

Her posts over the last six months have included advice for wannabe astronauts, an investigation of a mysterious bright light back on the ground, an image of a lunar eclipse as viewed from space, and a time-lapse showing how the sun sometimes doesn’t set for ISS astronauts.

Recently she showed how astronauts perform CPR in space and shared some amazing images revealing the beauty of our planet.

While astronauts aboard the space station spend much of their time working on science experiments in microgravity conditions, there’s also time to relax and have some fun, evidenced by Cristoforetti’s amusing recreation of a moment from the hit Hollywood space movie, Gravity.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA video from space shows Hurricane Franklin churning
watch this video shot from space showing hurricane franklin iss

HURRICANE FRANKLIN IS SEEN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

NASA has shared dramatic video of Hurricane Franklin as remains out to sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more
Astronaut photographs his ‘office’ during his ride to work
A photo taken from a SpaceX Crew Dragon showing Earth, the moon, and the space station.

As rides to work go, traveling aboard a spaceship to a satellite orbiting 250 miles above Earth must be hard to beat.

European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen did just that on Saturday when he flew with three others on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from the Kennedy Space Station in Florida to the International Space Station (ISS) in l0w-Earth orbit.

Read more
Watch the highlights of SpaceX’s Crew-7 arrival at the ISS
nasa announces breakthrough in search for iss air leak space station

Following a perfect launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early on Saturday, SpaceX’s four Crew-7 astronauts arrived safely at the International Space Station (ISS) the following day.

NASA live-streamed the Crew Dragon spacecraft approaching the ISS before docking, and also shared footage of the crew’s arrival aboard the station. The spacecraft’s hatch was opened at 10:58 a.m. ET (7:58 a.m. PT) on Sunday, shortly after the ISS crew opened the hatch between the space station and the pressurized mating adapter, NASA reported.

Read more