Stunning Astronaut Photo Reveals the Milky Way Like Never Before: A Glimpse Beyond Earth’s Horizon

An astronaut recently shared a stunning image of Earth taken from the International Space Station (ISS). This photo gives us a unique perspective on our planet and the universe beyond.

On January 29, 2025, astronaut Don Pettit snapped this breathtaking shot while the ISS was about 265 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just before sunrise. At that time, much of the Earth was still wrapped in darkness.

In the background, the Milky Way stretches across the sky, visible edge-on. This angle lets us see a slice of our galaxy’s diameter, adding depth to the image.

Pettit used a special camera setup with low light and long exposure settings. This technique allowed him to capture Earth’s rotation, creating a blur against the sharp details of the stars in the Milky Way.

In this photo, Earth appears in shades of mossy green instead of its usual blue and green. A thin band of white outlines the planet’s atmosphere, marking the boundary between our world and the vastness of space.

Pettit is part of NASA’s Expedition 72 team, which includes fellow astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Nick Hague. Williams and Wilmore have recently been in the spotlight after spending an extended time in space. There was some controversy when Elon Musk mentioned their situation, saying they were left in space for political reasons. However, both astronauts are set to return to Earth in March aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

Just a day after Pettit’s photograph, Williams and Wilmore completed a 5.5-hour spacewalk. This achievement allowed Williams to break the record for the most total spacewalk time by a woman, bringing her time to 62 hours and 6 minutes.

Pettit’s latest photo joins a remarkable collection of images of Earth captured from orbit. He previously took an impressive shot of Earth alongside two satellite galaxies. Pettit mentioned on X (formerly Twitter) that he used a homemade tracking device for long-exposure photography of star fields, hinting at future photos to come.

Pettit has also shared a light-hearted video where he hilariously jumps into his pants two legs at a time—a feat that many can relate to, especially those of us with a few torn pairs of pants.