From the International Space Station's orbit about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, crewmembers enjoy unique — and stunning — views of our home planet, as new footage from the station shows once again.
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, shared the footage on Twitter yesterday (Jan. 30). The time-lapse view from the orbiting laboratory showcases the bright lights of Earth's cities and the reddish glow of the lower layers of Earth's atmosphere. At times, auroras are also visible on the right-hand side of the video.
The footage was captured by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who is currently commander of the space station. Kononenko arrived at the orbiting laboratory on Dec. 3 with two crewmembers: NASA astronaut Anne McClain and Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
(So far, Saint-Jacques has been the most prolific in sharing his view with Earthlings, including stunning shots of textured clouds and plenty of images of the northern lights.)
All three crewmembers are due to return in June. The current trio have the space station to themselves as the station remains short-staffed after the failed launch of two astronauts in October. Assuming all goes well, the space station will return to a standard six-person crew later this spring.
Kononenko took over the role of commander from another talented photographer, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst.
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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