Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon has shared a striking time-lapse video of Earth at night, captured from orbit, showing city lights, lightning storms, fishing boats and the star-filled sky.
Menon shared the footage on X, saying it was captured through the forward window of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The sequence shows bright city lights, lightning storms, the Milky Way, stars and galaxies appearing above Earth's horizon.
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Describing the view, Menon highlighted the colours visible across Earth at night and said the time-lapse captures what the planet looks like through the spacecraft window.
"Colors at night are beautiful when looking at Earth at night," Menon wrote on X.
He added, "Here you can see blues from the squid boats, the bright lights of cities, storms, and the milkyway, stars, and galaxies rising in the sky. This was shot from the Dragon forward window with 3 second exposures and stitched together into a timelapse. That's what it looks like through the window; just, a little slower."
One of the distinctive features visible in the footage is the blue light from squid-fishing boats scattered across the dark ocean. The lights appear alongside the brighter illumination of cities, creating a contrast between human activity and the darkness of the surrounding waters.
The footage has drawn enthusiastic reactions on social media, with viewers praising the combination of Earth's illuminated landscape, atmospheric activity and the star-filled sky.
The time-lapse offers an orbital view of Earth at night, bringing city lights, fishing vessels, thunderstorms and celestial objects into a single sequence. Menon said the footage was created using three-second exposures that were stitched together into a time-lapse.
Earlier, Menon shared two star-trail photographs captured from orbit, offering contrasting views of Earth. One showed a warm, golden glow over India, while another captured a vivid red streak near Vietnam, with offshore fishing boats visible below.
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