Astronauts Capture Earth Like Never Before – Top Space Station Photos of 2024

Every year, the International Space Station (ISS) delivers some of the most breathtaking and unique photography of Earth. From mesmerizing auroras to dramatic landscapes, the images taken by astronauts not only showcase their technical skills but also offer us a rare and stunning perspective of our planet.

Here are the best photos of 2024 from the space station.

The Views from the International Space Station Are Simply Incomparable.

space view of a crescent shaped lake covered in cracked ice in a brown landscapespace view of a crescent shaped lake covered in cracked ice in a brown landscape
An icy lake in southwestern China’s high plateau region north of the Himalayas. NASA

Hundreds of Photos Are Taken by Astronauts Every Year.

space view of a snowy arm of land with a circular volcano at its round end stretching into a blue seaspace view of a snowy arm of land with a circular volcano at its round end stretching into a blue sea
The snow-covered Onekotan Island, part of Russia’s Kuril Islands, is home to the Tao-Rusyr Caldera stratovolcano in this photograph. NASA

“How would you not want to take pictures and try to share that with the rest of humanity?” said NASA astronaut Matt Dominick to ABC News Radio in August.

dark blue river winding with spiky edges and lots of branches and tributaries through a brown textured landscape view from spacedark blue river winding with spiky edges and lots of branches and tributaries through a brown textured landscape view from space
The São Francisco River in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. NASA

This Year, We Were Treated to a Surprise: The Bright and Bold Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas, or Comet A3.

white comet with a blue tail streaking through black starry space toward a bright blue horizonwhite comet with a blue tail streaking through black starry space toward a bright blue horizon
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), roughly 44 million miles away from Earth at the time of this photo. NASA

Astronauts Also Have a Front-Row Seat to Admire the Northern Lights.

spaceship docked to space station module surrounded by bright pink and green lights amid a red glow with cloudy Earth belowspaceship docked to space station module surrounded by bright pink and green lights amid a red glow with cloudy Earth below
An aurora radiates brightly above the Indian Ocean around the Soyuz MS-25 crew ship docked to the ISS. NASA

Back in April, They Watched the Moon’s Shadow Cross the United States During the Total Solar Eclipse.

dark round shadow covers large land mass on earth's curvature as seen from spacedark round shadow covers large land mass on earth's curvature as seen from space
The moon’s shadow covers portions of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Maine during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. NASA

The Earth’s Atmosphere Offers Other Unique Spectacles, Such as Colorful Sunsets and Sunrises.

earth horizon curving against starry space with yellow green purple and orange layersearth horizon curving against starry space with yellow green purple and orange layers
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps used long-exposure camera settings to capture an array of colors across Earth’s horizon. NASA

According to Dominick, Even These Magnificent Photos Don’t Do Justice to the Actual Views.

two dark blue lakes side by side on a brown mountainous landscape beneath puffy clouds seen from spacetwo dark blue lakes side by side on a brown mountainous landscape beneath puffy clouds seen from space
Lake Rakshastal (left) and Lake Manasarovar (right) in Tibet. NASA

“I’ve spent a fair amount of time trying to capture what I can see with my eye. I’ve not been able to achieve it yet,” he said.

ring-shaped lake around a black and grey rocky islandring-shaped lake around a black and grey rocky island
Lake Manicouagan, carved out by the impact of an ancient meteorite, in Quebec. NASA

Not All Views Are Fun or Comforting. Astronauts Can Clearly See Forest Fires.

trails of white and brown wildfire smoke rise from brown wrinkled landscape as seen from spacetrails of white and brown wildfire smoke rise from brown wrinkled landscape as seen from space
Wildfires in South Africa’s Great Escarpment, near the coast of the Indian Ocean. NASA

Every Year They Get a Bird’s-Eye View of Hurricanes, Too.

hurricane with thick clouds swirling into its eye as seen from spacehurricane with thick clouds swirling into its eye as seen from space
Hurricane Helene above the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Mississippi on September 25, 2024. NASA

Stretching Hundreds of Kilometers Across, Major Storms Such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton Seem to Engulf the World Below.

hurricane milton seen from space as a giant spiral of thick white clouds covering the blue earth below the blackness of spacehurricane milton seen from space as a giant spiral of thick white clouds covering the blue earth below the blackness of space
Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm at the time of this photograph, churns in the Gulf of Mexico on October 8, 2024. NASA

Astronauts Can Even See Lightning Flashing Through the Clouds.

cloudy nighttime region of earth seen from space with city lights and bright flash of lightning visible through the cloudscloudy nighttime region of earth seen from space with city lights and bright flash of lightning visible through the clouds
Lightning (at right) illuminates the clouds above the South China Sea with the city lights of Southeast Asia shining through. NASA

One Thing They Don’t Often See Are Borders, like Where Libya, Sudan and Egypt Meet in the Sahara Desert.

orange sands sahara desert seen from space with some brown rocky-looking areasorange sands sahara desert seen from space with some brown rocky-looking areas
The borders between Libya, Sudan, and Egypt meet in the Sahara desert. NASA

Astronauts Have Long Described a Profound Change in Perspective When They First See the Earth from the Sky. This Is Known as the “Overview Effect.”

an orange coastline against a blue sea is visible through a circular space station window surrounded by rectangular windowsan orange coastline against a blue sea is visible through a circular space station window surrounded by rectangular windows
The southern coast of Africa shines through the International Space Station’s cupola, aka the “window to the world.” NASA

They talk about overwhelming feelings of awe, unity, and a sense of Earth’s fragility.

long snowy mountainous island with lots of peninsulas and coves in a blue ocean seen from spacelong snowy mountainous island with lots of peninsulas and coves in a blue ocean seen from space
A snow-covered South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. NASA

The actor William Shatner described it after his 2021 spaceflight with Jeff Bezos: “There’s the blue down there and the black up there. There is Mother Earth and comfort, and there is — is there death? I don’t know.”

himalayas seen from space as a brown snow-lined mountain range fading into blue with the curvature of earth ending at the blackness of spacehimalayas seen from space as a brown snow-lined mountain range fading into blue with the curvature of earth ending at the blackness of space
The Himalayas stretch across Earth’s curvature. NASA

“It really is difficult for me to imagine people on Earth not getting along together,” NASA astronaut Suni Williams told reporters in September. “It just changes your perspective.”

view from space of a river of bright white lights winding toward a dark sea under the blackness of spaceview from space of a river of bright white lights winding toward a dark sea under the blackness of space
The night lights of civilization highlight the Nile River and dimly outline the shores of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Gulf of Aqaba around midnight. NASA

Williams and her crewmate, Butch Wilmore, have been stuck on the space station for months.

two floating smiling people stand between two astronauts in white spacesuits inside a small chamber lined with equipment on the space stationtwo floating smiling people stand between two astronauts in white spacesuits inside a small chamber lined with equipment on the space station
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore (at center) pose with their fellow astronauts Mike Barratt (far left) and Tracy C. Dyson (far right). NASA

They were the first people to fly on Boeing’s Starliner spaceship for a roughly week-long flight in July.

spaceship with open nosecone in the distance against the blackness of space above a blue cloudy earthspaceship with open nosecone in the distance against the blackness of space above a blue cloudy earth
The Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. NASA

Starliner returned to Earth without them after engine issues made NASA officials concerned about its safety.

spaceship with open port backs away from space station seen through external station equipment robotic arms and portsspaceship with open port backs away from space station seen through external station equipment robotic arms and ports
Boeing’s uncrewed Starliner spacecraft backs away from the International Space Station on September 6, 2024. NASA

Now, Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship in March.

white spacex spaceship docked to a port with a smiling face looking out one window against the backdrop of black starry space and the milky waywhite spacex spaceship docked to a port with a smiling face looking out one window against the backdrop of black starry space and the milky way
The SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft docked to the ISS, with astronaut Matt Dominick peering out of the left window and the Milky Way appearing in the background. NASA

They’ve taken the setback in stride. “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space,” Williams said.

green ponds lined up side by side with a passage through the middle in an orange-brown craggy landscapegreen ponds lined up side by side with a passage through the middle in an orange-brown craggy landscape
Salt evaporation ponds south of the Dead Sea in between Israel and Jordan. NASA

NASA has asked SpaceX to design a vehicle to push the ISS out of orbit, to a fiery plunge into the Pacific Ocean.

long peninsula of brown land stretches across blue ocean toward the curving horizon of earth beneath black spacelong peninsula of brown land stretches across blue ocean toward the curving horizon of earth beneath black space
The Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur stretch between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. NASA

Business Insider originally published this article.

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