Skip to main content

NASA shares majestic images of orbital sunrise captured from ISS

NASA has shared a set of stunning images showing an orbital sunrise from the International Space Station (ISS).

The four photos, which NASA Johnson posted on its Twitter account on Thursday, March 17, show the sun emerging over Earth’s horizon.

Related Videos
An orbital sunrise viewed from the ISS.
An orbital sunrise captured from the International Space Station. NASA

“The first rays of an orbital sunrise illuminate the Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 above the Pacific Ocean south of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula,” NASA Johnson said in comments alongside the same images on its Flickr account.

An orbital sunrise is seen from the Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Pacific Ocean on Feb. 22, 2022. For more photos, visit https://t.co/UrTZQGt9OI pic.twitter.com/LN3mN8EFOu

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) March 17, 2022

The impressive photos were captured using one of several professional DSLR cameras aboard the space station, in this case, a Nikon D4 with a 28-300mm lens, though NASA Johnson doesn’t say which astronaut took them.

The ISS takes just 90 minutes to orbit Earth, so there are plenty of sunrises — 16 per day — for the station’s crew to enjoy.

While ISS astronauts spend most of their time working on science experiments, they also like to gaze out of the station’s Cupola module whenever they have a chance.

The seven-window module offers sweeping views of Earth and beyond, and is one of the most popular spots on the station for capturing photos of our planet.

Recent space station inhabitant Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency earned a reputation for snapping stunning Earth shots during his six-month mission. But capturing something special is harder than you might imagine, with busy work schedules and cloud cover two such obstacles to getting great shots.

Indeed, Pesquet had to put in a great deal of effort to give himself the best chance of capturing so-called “keepers.”

Editors' Recommendations

SpaceX Crew-6 astronauts arrive safely at space station
The space station crew all together following the arrival of SpaceX's Crew-6 in March 2023.

SpaceX's four Crew-6 members have safely boarded the International Space Station (ISS) following a voyage that lasted about 27 hours.

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:34 a.m. ET on Thursday and reached the orbital outpost about 24 hours later.

Read more
NASA eyes weather for Thursday’s Crew-6 launch. Here’s how it’s looking
From left, NASA astronauts Warren “Woody” Hoburg and Stephen Bowen, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a dress rehearsal for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission launch on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

NASA and SpaceX are making final preparations for its first crewed launch since October 2022.

The Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:34 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 2 (9:34 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1).

Read more
Astronaut captures ‘unreal’ aurora image from space station
An aurora as viewed from the ISS.

A geomagnetic storm caused by a series of recent explosive events on the sun has brought spectacular auroras to parts of Earth in recent days.

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) 250 miles above our planet have also been enjoying the amazing light show, with ISS inhabitant Josh Cassada sharing a stunning image that he captured just recently.

Read more