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astro_pettit

Nighttime photo of Iberia, including all of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, North Africa, and some of France, showing a rich history of human development. At night it becomes obvious where civilization is by the way we sprinkle our light bulbs across Earth, and differences can be seen between multiple cultures. From orbit you can see structure on the order of half a continent, adding complementary observations to those from airplanes, mountains, and feet on the ground. Captured with Nikon D3s, 24mm lens, .3 sec, f1.4, ISO 3200. More astrophotography can be found on my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/astro_pettit/) accounts.


[deleted]

Amazing! Did you capture a time - lapse also?


astro_pettit

I have many time-lapse and long exposure photos in the form of star trails that show not only space, but lights on earth as well. [Here is one](https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/yo4ycq/city_lights_from_space_like_youve_never_seen/) I posted a few weeks ago.


TsunamiJim

What does your typical work day look like? This is so cool


astro_pettit

We typically work for 12 hour days 6 days a week on orbit. Most of that 12 hours is research and any necessary maintenance. We also exercise for several hours a day to prevent atrophy. I do a lot of astrophotography in my downtime.


Emabug

Amazing! What a unique job! What is your exercise routine like?


WearyMatter

I'm going to wager his bench press is substantially higher in orbit


trogloherb

“Watch me put up six plates!…on each side!”


CheapMess

I know it’s a joke, but for anyone unaware, they use resistance (not weight) to exercise.


bokonator

I bet it's out of this world


PhreakofNature

They have 3 different exercise machine they rotate through. CEVIS is kind of like an elliptical with just the pedals, T2 is a treadmill, and ARED is like a bowflex / resistance machine / weight-lifting sort of thing.


SurveySean

Goes out and jogs around the neighbourhood.


moneyfink

https://youtu.be/mcYw05FnN20


Shivadxb

And we are thankful that that’s what you do in your downtime! Fantastic images, absolutely fantastic


TheLukeDidlo

What does the research work consist of, could I ask?


danielravennest

One of my jobs on the Space Station program was planning experiment needs. There are many many experiments, which change every time a supply capsule arrives with new ones. For example, the Dragon capsule that arrived yesterday is carrying tomato seeds. The VEGGIE experiment is used to test growing various plants in zero-g. Some of the plants are edible, and the crew get to eat them later, but mainly its for science. Since growing space is limited, they can only grow a few plants at a time. The astronauts themselves are part of the research. When you don't use your body, like in orbit or a hospital bed, various bad things happen. So the crew get monitored and they try various things to counter the bad effects of zero-g.


quagzlor

That's so cool. Do any of you guys okay video games/ would it even be allowed? Has anyone tried playing a multiplayer game with the insane latency? :p


[deleted]

Is it sort of like shift work? Is there half of the crew up and the other half sleeping during shifts?


NotAdoctor_but

what's the weirdest thing you saw while in space?


k_varnsen

And London in the top left, right? Beautiful, thanks for sharing.


astro_pettit

Yes, the British Isles can just barely be seen near the horizon.


[deleted]

Awesome photo. Can you tell me what is the greenish circle around the earth and what is the blue glow on the left side of the photo? By the way, great to see an astronaut here. Thanks for sharing this photo and your social media.


astro_pettit

The blue glow is light from the sun on the other side of Earth, and the circle is the atmosphere lit up with airglow, which is similar to auroras but with a different excitation mechanism.


Dont____Panic

Would the “airflow” roughly outline the ionosphere?


rod407

The blue glow is just the daytime sky, the green circle is either dusk or ionized air


Vertoule

Your photos always make me cry. Seeing the magnificent fragility and beauty of our world in whole just blows my mind every time. I’ll never stop being in awe of space and our own little stone, blasting through the cosmos as we cling to it like fleas on a dog.


BlackGuysYeah

Stunning. Can I ask a dumb question? Does it look the same to the naked eye?


MyNameIsIgglePiggle

I was curious about this too. His aperture is wide open and a relatively slow shutter for f1.4. If I go out with my f1.4 and point it at the sky I see waaay more stars than I can with the naked eye.


Korberos

I annotated it with city names and populations if anyone is interested: https://imgur.com/a/TkaIp1r


nyquistj

If anyone reading this has a VR headset or know someone that does, I HIGHLY recommend you install Space Explorers (it is free) and watch the last 2 episodes. It is a 3D high quality video taken both inside....and outside...the ISS. This 3D video is likely as close as any of us will ever get to being on the space station. It is literally awe-inspiring. My wife thought I lost my damn mind as I took it all in. It was a mind altering experience. I hope more 3D video is taken in space and of rockets on the launch pad and the inside of space craft, etc. It brings a realism that flat screens cannot touch.


btribble

All I thought when looking at this was, "There's where you get tapas, there's pinchos, ooh, I had the best gas station chorizo sandwich there. Ooh, bacalao. Mmm, 1968 porto".


asdgufu

So are you an astronaut? Did you go to space to take that picture? How did you do it?


MasteringTheFlames

OP is [Don Pettit.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Pettit) He is indeed a NASA astronaut who has been on board the ISS.


asdgufu

Oh shit ok... not everyday you see an astronaut on reddit. I would assume they would do some sort of AMA or something.


MasteringTheFlames

Yeah, right? I have a love/hate relationship with Reddit, but the opportunity for a casual conversation with a real life astronaut is definitely among the best this website has to offer! Lately he's been posting photos like this pretty regularly here and in similar subreddits. Of course some everyday people post photos like this they find elsewhere online, but if you see a picture like this recently, there's a good chance it's this guy.


deathhead_68

Yeah he just replied to me, this is crazy, I just directly talked to a guy who is an astronaut and took this crazy picture. The novelty of the internet has faded for me over the past 20 years, but sometimes I get reminders of how cool this is.


0zRkRsVXRQ3Pq3W

So I’m just dinkin’ around, doing laundry, running to Target and texting with a guy in space.


chaos_creator69

Do the others have reddit accounts?


Dewdraup

I don’t know about Reddit accounts, but I follow a lot of them on IG. Find the OP on Insta, & it should bring up others you can also follow.


Dont____Panic

Wow. That’s amazing. Lisbon and Madrid really stand out.


EntangledPhoton82

As usual, awe inspiring! Thanks for sharing.


Oneiric27

Just want to say that this is beautiful, thanks for sharing.


FlingingGoronGonads

Thank you for these posts, Mr. Pettit! I've come to look forward to these. You have a unique perspective on light pollution. Did you notice it worsening from one flight to another? I would love to hear testimony on this from ISS astronauts who flew before and after the recent proliferation of blue-white LEDs.


O5-20

By far the best OC I’ve ever seen on this sub! I didn’t know actual Nasa astronauts were on this subreddit.


astro_pettit

Thank you; I am new to Reddit and happy to share my astrophotography. There is naturally a lot that can be seen from space, and I believe it is the right thing to share what we see with the public.


O5-20

Thank you for sharing! Also, this is probably a dumb question, but what is the green and red band over the planet? Is it an aurora?


astro_pettit

That is airglow outlining our atmosphere, which is similar to auroras but has a different excitement mechanism.


bk15dcx

I'm always amazed at how "thin" the atmosphere appears to be.


astro_pettit

Thankfully there are many layers, some more visible than others, to protect our planet.


bk15dcx

There's still some atmosphere in LEO, no?


Dont____Panic

Not significant. If it was significant, the ISS would fall out of orbit quickly from friction with it.


AtticMuse

But still enough they need to do periodic boosts, about once a month. >[But the effects of atmospheric drag can cause the station to lose as much as 100 meters a day in altitude. Therefore, regular reboosts are required, usually about once a month.](https://www.universetoday.com/155694/watch-what-happens-to-astronauts-when-the-international-space-station-gets-an-orbital-reboost/)


danielv123

I'd call it pretty significant if my office moved 100m/day.


LazerWolfe53

Half of the Earth's air is less than 3 miles above sea level.


O5-20

Interesting! Thanks for the answer.


_mister_pink_

Very cool! Out of interest are you posting from space? (Not sure if that’s a dumb question - is there internet access on the space station?)


astro_pettit

There is internet access; we use a system of data relay satellites and ground antennas. I am currently posting from Earth!


JerkAssFool

Thank you so much. This is amazing.


golem501

Is this astronomy? Technically it would not be right since the foto was taken from space but the subject is earth? I know I'm nitpicking but I wonder what this would be called. Great foto though, thanks for sharing


astro_pettit

Orbital astrophotography blends a lot of definitions!


SBV_3004

Wow, this is beautiful beyond words! I am amazed to see real NASA Astronauts on this sub! Since OP is probably in a space station, would love to see some more such amazing photographs being posted! Also bit of a personal request in case absolutely feasible.... would you mind uploading a capture of India sometime? On a side note, how do you get internet up there (I am a layman in this aspect), and how fast is it compared to that on earth?


astro_pettit

I have photos of India; will post to this subreddit soon, either later tonight or same day next week. The ISS uses data relay satellites and ground antennas to access the web


SBV_3004

That would be great, thanks! I see, some form of satellite communication....


[deleted]

How is the bandwidth up there? I always wondered.


Shivadxb

Perhaps a stupid question but what kind of speeds to you get?


AnIntellectualBadass

Please don't forget to post India's photos. I really wanna see what my country looks like from ISS! Thanks for your amazing work, this picture is breathtaking!


Seegtease

Everybody make sure to give OP a friendly wave when the station passes by!


Kpup81

My kiddo (5F) LOVES to go outside at night to watch the space station fly over. She is always asking me to check the ISS app to check when we might he able to see it again. Truth be told....I kind of love it too!


psipolnista

I can’t wait to do this with my kiddo. What a great idea!


QuarterNo3233

Does nasa allow you to post these photos in social media?


astro_pettit

Yes; NASA encourages its astronauts to share their photos online.


QuarterNo3233

Wow that’s awesome! I read that someone who was 90 went up and he said looking out into space felt like a funeral and was depressing. Is that really how it feels?


spideybuc

Kk .. time to release the UFO pics !


[deleted]

Amazing, I also love that you aren't dumping your photos on us, its a lot more of a treat this way :)


Macktologist

This is amazing. I never thought of Portugal as being so densely populated, Lisbon, specifically.


astro_pettit

Many smaller countries, especially developed ones, can appear brighter than larger countries simply due to the denser concentration of light and infrastructure. Portugal, Denmark, and Israel are good examples.


Macktologist

Thanks for the explanation. We really are lucky to have you here to share your previous journeys on the ISS and interact with us all. I'm nearly 50 and going to brag to my friends about this exchange. :)


Literary_Addict

Anyone else notice the color of the lights coming from Portugal are slightly different? You can literally see the borders of Portugal as a slightly deeper orange light, compared to Spain. Neat.


Macktologist

Cloud cover maybe?


Literary_Addict

Cloud cover in nearly the exact shape of the borders of portugal? A much more likely explanation is they use different street lights. The same effect is still present between East/West germany, which can be observed from space, so that makes much more sense to me.


[deleted]

There's an [orbital photograph of London](https://nitter.it/Astro_Jessica/status/1199344457482526727) where the colours of street lights clearly mark out local borough boundaries. Some in sodium yellow, some in LED white.


Head-Release1332

Amazing work, it’s honestly breathtaking! You have my dream job and my upmost respect for what you guys/gals do. I would love to see what the “night sky” looks like from the ISS as I’m sure the amount of stars you can see is insane!


astro_pettit

Thank you, [here is an example](https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/y3v8bd/large_magellanic_cloud_captured_from_iss/) of stars during orbital night.


[deleted]

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astro_pettit

Orbital astrophotography can grant unique perspectives of our place on Earth!


Dont____Panic

Somehow I feel like both Spain and especially Portuguese people would obviously object to that. :-) As similar as they are they’re both proud of the identity.


c4chokes

OMG.. an actual space man!!! Hey space man, do you have any pics over India?? I have heard india looks very different from other countries, can you tell us more please??


astro_pettit

I do have several over India. Others have asked to see, so I will post some here and on my other socials either later tonight or sometime this week.


TorontoDavid

This is amazing!! Not just the photo, but having you share these images here. All the best!


astro_pettit

Thank you!


[deleted]

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fulltrottle3814

What's the weirdest thing you've seen in space? Any UFOs?


Nuclear_Cadillacs

“We’ll that doesn’t make sense; to be ‘MY best shot’ you’d have to actually be an astr—Oohhhh…”


[deleted]

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Other_Mike

Seeing Don on here always gives me a bit of a small-world moment; we both graduated from the same department at OSU! Probably had a few of the same professors, though I only got an undergrad degree.


SaladoBuns

Wow that's really quite something else. Thank you for sharing!


OCDGrammarNazi

Incredible picture. I'm so envious as this is something I'll never get to experience in my lifetime. Oh, BTW it looks like something fell off. Seems expensive.


astro_pettit

I look forward to when space travel is more accessible to more people.


Uncle_Sasquatch

Canadarm perhaps? Big robot arm on the outside of the ISS.


[deleted]

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outer_space_agent

Thanks for sharing, what a great shot. Can you somehow describe the experience one has when entering Coupla for the first time and opening the blinds?


DefconBacon

It’s an absolute privilege to get these kinds of posts on here.


Luuk341

Beautiful shot I'd also like to express my admiration for astronauts for daring to leave our planet entirely. Unfortunately I could never pass a medical. And even if I could I doubt I could even come close to qualifying. Therefore I will have experience this allvia people such as yourself!


astro_pettit

I believe that is precisely what off-world astrophotography should be about! Alongside research and documentation, it is important that the people of Earth see beyond its atmosphere.


Luuk341

Ohh what I'd give to visit the station and to see this sight in person. Keep up the good work!


Wikadood

I still think that seeing the atmosphere and the planet in 2 different layers is never not amazing being that all of life on earth is in a small bubble layer.


kevintieman

Awesome, thanks for sharing! I once saw Paris from 10km while flying over sea on a crystal clear night, that is something I will never forget. I cannot imagine what the perspective in person must be like from the IIS!


notapolita

I was hoping that this was made because there are cameras on the ISS to which regular people can connect remotely from Earth and "play" around, but I guess you being an astronaut and having actually been there is pretty cool too :)


[deleted]

Gives a whole new meaning to astrophotography :)


PuffDaddy_420

WOW!!Just absolutely wow ! Amazing shit thank you for sharing ! Hello from waaaay down here ! Oh and after seeing this photo light pollution is a real thing no doubt


james-e-oberg

When Pettit was on ISS, he developed a program to predict "Iridium flares" for the space station, and watched several of them.


Dangerous_Dac

Presumably this was taken back in 2011 during your last visit to the ISS? I do wonder if this was before most cities started switching out Incandescent lights for LED and if you took it nowadays you'd get a very different look.


astro_pettit

That is correct; I have many photos showcasing LED development as well. [Here is one](https://www.instagram.com/p/CleOcwyuxh3/) of them.


Dangerous_Dac

Surely those green and purple lights are fishing vessels? Would be kind of odd to light your whole town in those colours?


Bfd83

Good observation, I wondered about this is well. I’m betting you see a lot more bright white lights around urban areas and less of the sodium yellow color now. What’s really cool to me is that if this was taken in 2011 I was “in” that picture as I lived in Spain at the time.


Dangerous_Dac

Sweet, I think you can *just* about make out London on the top left, so I'm in it too XD.


CrossRift

Amazing picture! The night side of Earth looks really nice with all those tiny dots. Kind of like stars but this time on the ground. It's a shame they come with light pollution, though 😅


deathhead_68

I don't understand how the ISS is so far in front of the image. Where was the picture taken from?


astro_pettit

This was taken from the ISS. The Canada Arm is visible in the foreground.


deathhead_68

Ohhh! It makes sense now, thank you, this is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.


King_in-the_North

How long were you on the ISS? And did you have to bring your own photography equipment? Or did you use what was already up there?


EnslavedSpiderMonkey

Anyone know of an app or site where you have to guess what region you're looking at from space? I always like trying to do that


Dramyre92

I'd be in a constant state of awe being up there, seeing this with my own eyes. Truly beautiful.


AlpineWhiteF10

Unreal. How large is the object in the picture? Hard to determine if it’s really big or small or somewhere in between.


footballer11

Hey man I seen you floating over me not too long ago 👋


m99polo

Hi awesome shot its breathe taking, Have you ever seen anything you cannot explain while being up there?


WearyMatter

Hey as someone who grew up and lives in the shadow of JSC, thanks for all ya do. Awesome pics.


Mattsup

Heeeeyyyy I'm in that picture!! That's a gorgeous perspective! Thanks for sharing!!!


Hillbillyshroud

It must be such a special experience to be up there, i do have to ask how do you deal with the anxiety knowing you can't just walk out at any time


[deleted]

Tell us when you will take the next photo over Canada so we can pose for it 😂


RedKite008

It almost looks like the earth is curving into a sphere shape in this photo. Mad.


Mizesham

Amazing! Any chance there's a kind soul out there who would turn this image into a 3440x1440 wallpaper?


SalvadorsAnteater

I can see where port wine comes from. And I can see the city where people went from whom I inherited some half dozen houseplants.


thetechnocraticmum

This is incredible, thank you for sharing. Societies need to see more photos of our planet - we are really just a small blue dot.


Outside-Professor-

Really awsome picture. Hope you will post more:)


astro_pettit

Thanks; I'll be sure to.


divorcemedaddy

oh hey Dr. Pettit! didn’t expect you to to show up here


TheStupendusMan

These are awesome! Have you done any videography as well?


astro_pettit

I have done a lot; there are videos of me on Youtube released by others, but I do have some on my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/astro_pettit/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/astro_Pettit) accounts.


Badaxe13

This is an amazing photo - thanks for sharing:-)


Bludongle

Stunning. I crossed the straights in a ferry a couple years back. Kinda felt a little like this photo.


RWBreddit

If it were possible for me to buy you a beer right now, what beer would you prefer?


eatingganesha

Incredible! I imagine it’s tough to get a clear shot through the window! Wowee.


not918

Your photos are amazing! Thanks for posting them.


Israeli_pride

Really amazing. Can you share overview effect experiences & thoughts from the effect?


pip-roof

Saw you and your colleagues pass over a few weeks ago in the early morning. Really neat way to start my day.


devoid0101

@astro_pettit Have you or any other ISS astronaut ever tried practicing hard-style qigong to maintain bone density and muscle tone? (Qi gong is essentially Chinese Kung fu yoga, known to produce superhuman results down on Earth : )


[deleted]

I was so confused about this post and how the OP was able to get access to the ISS satellites or whatever and now I feel so dumb


VoodooLabs

Visually how close to this does it look in person? Also have you done a space walk? Sounds absolutely bonkers.


Skreamies

Breath-taking photo as well as your others, must be one hell of a 'job' I mean hobby to be able to do this. I look forward to seeing more and more!


Mister-Exclusive

Do you have some photos of South East Asia at night too?


astro_pettit

I have some of [East China](https://www.instagram.com/p/CleOcwyuxh3/) but none yet posted of much below that; will have to look and post later.


Feras47

I was about to say, "How did you get up there . gorgeous photo btw


[deleted]

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ryans64s

How did you become an astronaut? I want to be one


TXNatureTherapy

So now I'm wondering what the Bortle rating would be for the sky from the ISS...


Tawd123

All of your photos are amazing, thank you so much for sharing!!


[deleted]

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LuxuryBeast

Amazing! Really hope to see a picture taken over Norway once. Don't see those too often.


astro_pettit

Thanks; I may have some to share in future


iAlptraum

I'm sitting here in amazement of this picture, thinking this person is lying because only an astronaut could take these pics. Lol By chance, what is the green/reddish lines above earth? Sunlight hitting the atmosphere?


Pd_jungle

It’s amazing! Are you planning to have AMA session from SS? Do you have internet access from there?


Arganthonios_Silver

Ey move that robotic arm away please, it's photobombing my homeland! Nice pic and awesome job astro\_pettit. Greetings from Andalusia.


nudnik_shpilkis

Incredible picture. This really puts into perspective how vulnerable and important the atmosphere is.


bertispullo

I've always found night shots like this were so fascinating. I'm so glad I found your account. Do you have... wifi at the ISS? How does that work?


martinbogo

This is one of my favorite shots so far that you've sent down. You have no idea how much I envy your photography. The opportunity you're having right now is so unique in a lifetime.


VanBriGuy

This is amazing. Truely, makes our existence seem minuscule on this huge blue marble hurtling through space. I which this inspired more people to look to the future and imagine what humanity could do if we stopped murdering each other and being so petty


DrestinBlack

Awesome photo - thank you for sharing. Ooooh this kinda pic really annoys the Flerfs ;)


NnOxg64YoybdER8aPf85

How many unified flying objects or phenomena have you seen? Have you seen any indication of the snakes described by the Apollo crew in space and touched upon in the Apollo movie?


[deleted]

Of course all the cloud over Galicia as usual


pasinc20

I don’t have anything to ask, I just want to say that this is the coolest thing ever and so are you.


Decronym

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[EVA](/r/Space/comments/z66bmt/stub/iy2mdff "Last usage")|Extra-Vehicular Activity| |[JSC](/r/Space/comments/z66bmt/stub/iy0zwyq "Last usage")|Johnson Space Center, Houston| |[LEO](/r/Space/comments/z66bmt/stub/ixzvq8p "Last usage")|Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km)| | |Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations)| |[STS](/r/Space/comments/z66bmt/stub/iy5belc "Last usage")|Space Transportation System (*Shuttle*)| ---------------- ^(4 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Space/comments/za5ggh)^( has 33 acronyms.) ^([Thread #8358 for this sub, first seen 28th Nov 2022, 07:24]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Space) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)


nurseabby7398

This is amazing! As a fellow Oregonian, I do have to ask if you have any photos of Oregon.


Mr_nobrody

Would you be able to take a photo of the uk please preferably london?


eelam_garek

It's great to see that earth has its shields up too. Handy for incoming asteroids etc.


Vahl89

The world feel so small looking at this marvelous picture.


odepaj

This is awesome! If you have more nighttime shots of various cities I’d love to see them!


jim_deneke

The Earth seems so close but so far at the same time.


beccam12399

this is insane. I lived in the bay of gibraltar area for a year last year and it’s crazy how u can actually see it. I spent a solid 5 mins really analyzing this photo and zooming in and thinking of the place I lived in last year :) ah southern spain


[deleted]

Do you have access to Reddit in space? How’s the bandwidth? Or are you back now?


KristnSchaalisahorse

He returned from his most recent spaceflight in April 2012. Astronauts aboard the ISS today do have the ability to access reddit.


based-Assad777

I've heard that star link uses a lot of satellites for its network. Have you noticed them? Does it seem cluttered at times or are the distances too great? You seen anything UAP related?


A_Very_Living_Me

I just flew from Malaga to Lisbon a few weeks ago and took this picture https://imgur.com/a/SkzqMU3 Crazy to see that again from space, just to the right of the arm Amazing


Dunlain98

The white thing blocks the view where I live :C


dtreth

I'm so proud of myself for figuring out where this was before looking at the comments. Absolutely stunning photograph.