NASA astronaut captures city lights streaking below ISS in stunning new photos

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The long-duration photographs capture Earth in motion.

a view of earth with long streaks of light
City lights in northern Mexico streak by in this long-exposure photograph taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station on Oct. 24, 2024. (Image credit: NASA/Don Pettit)

The whirling Earth shines brightly in fresh imagery taken from the space station.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, known for his long-exposure photographs from the International Space Station (ISS), recently captured views above Mexico and the United States showing city lights streaking by 250 miles (400 kilometers) beneath him.

Pettit also managed to glimpse the aurora, or northern lights, on the horizon. These glowing hues appear when energetic particles from the sun interact with Earth's upper atmosphere.

Related: 'Spaceborne': Astronaut Don Pettit's amazing space photos (gallery)

Pettit, on his fourth mission to the space station, is well known for his orbital photography, which he performs during his spare time.

a long-exposure photo of earth with streaks of white and a green aurora on the horizon

Streaks of city lights and an aurora are visible above Lake Michigan in the United States, in an image taken Oct. 24, 2024 by NASA astronaut Don Pettit on the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA/Don Pettit)
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In recent days, he created a Jupiter-like ball of water, using food coloring to create incredible hues that evoked a gas giant planet.

Pettit also caught the conclusion of the independently funded Polaris Dawn mission that returned to Earth on Sept. 15.

The image chronicled the fiery reentry of the four-person mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, along with a view of the cone shape of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that ferried them to orbit for about a week.

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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Former Staff Writer, Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.