From remarkable ‘red lightning sprite' to once-in-a-lifetime comet – 7 breathtaking snaps captured by Nasa astronauts
Fortunately, astronauts are not only equipped with suites of scientific instruments, but cameras too - so we at home can enjoy the view as well.
Advertisement
7
A red lightning sprite was captured during a storm near the Texas-Mexico border
Credit: Nichole Ayers/NASA
Lightning sprite
Nasa astronaut Nichole Ayers caught a phenomenon known as a sprite near the Texas-Mexico border from the ISS, some 250 miles above Earth.
'Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the US this morning, I caught this sprite," Ayers wrote on X earlier this month.
"Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below.
"We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms."
Advertisement
READ MORE ON SPACE
Ayers snapped the picture with a Nikon Z9 using a 50mm lens (f/1.2, ¼ sec, ISO 6400) as part of a time-lapse set up in the Cupola - the domed window module on board the ISS.
"It takes planning, timing, and a lot of pictures to capture such a rare phenomenon," she added.
7
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
Credit: Don Pettit/NASA
7
The icy comet seen alongside aurora
Credit: SWNS
Advertisement
Once-in-a-lifetime comet
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS - dubbed the 'once-in-a-lifetime comet' - was photographed by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit from the ISS last autumn.
Scientists at the Royal Astronomical Society dubbed it the "comet of the century" because of its brightness and rarity.
Most read in Science
The icy comet won't be visible on Earth again for another 80,000 years - making the sighting particularly rare.
7
These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena
Credit: Nasa
Advertisement
Aurora
meets airglow
Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake shared this snap or aurora - or Northern Lights - dancing near Earth's airglow in 2016.
In his whopping 340 days in space, Kelly was able to provide some stunning images of Earth seen from above.
These are two of Earth's most colorful upper atmospheric phenomena.
The wavy green, red-topped wisps of aurora borealis appear to intersect the faint red-yellow band of airglow.
Advertisement
Though they appear at similar altitudes, aurora and airglow are different.
Nighttime airglow - also known as nightglow - is a type of chemiluminescence that occurs all around the Earth, all the time.
This is where light is emitted from chemical interactions between oxygen, nitrogen, and other molecules in the upper atmosphere.
Auroras, on the other hand, are caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere.
Advertisement
7
The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang and Lauren Dauphin
'Devil horned' volcano
While technically snapped by data visualisers at Nasa's Earth Observatory, this "devilish" Russian volcano was captured spitting out a 1,000-mile-long stream of smoke into Earth's atmosphere.
The striking image was snapped by Nasa's Aqua satellite between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2023.
It was during an active eruption phase of the volcano, known as Klyuchevskoy or sometimes Klyuchevskaya Sopka - an area home to more than 300 volcanoes.
Advertisement
The two-pronged devil horns depict twin lava flows spewing out of the volcanoes mouth.
7
Astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006
Credit: NASA
Spacewalk
The ISS has been orbiting Earth for nearly three decades, after first launching in November 1998.
Astronauts have conducted 275 spacewalks since the station opened - one of the riskiest jobs an astronaut will ever undertake.
Advertisement
Backdropped by New Zealand and the Cook Strait in the Pacific Ocean, astronauts Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang participate in an extravehicular activity, December 12, 2006.
Their job was to support the construction of the orbital outpost, and proved the source of quite the stellar image.
7
False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details
Credit: Don Pettit/X
Ganges river
The Ganges river, the world's largest river delta, was photographed in near-infrared from the ISS by Pettit.
Advertisement
The ISS utilises near-infrared imagery for various scientific purposes, including atmospheric studies and Earth observation.
It is key to capturing images of the Earth's airglow, clouds, and other surface features during nighttime.
The end result are incredible false-colour images that show Earth in a completely new light.
False-color images combine and rearrange colour channels from multiple sources to visualise new details.
Advertisement
These details are either things that cannot be seen by the human eye - or aspects that may be obscured in true colour images, such as healthy vegetation or different soil types.
All you need to know about planets in our solar system
Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all...
How old is
How many moons does
What colour is
How far away is
How big is
How many moons does
Does
How many moons does
How big is
How hot is the
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Mystery object zooming towards Sun may be ‘hostile alien probe' – but experts brand Harvard prof's claims as ‘nonsense'
THE mysterious interstellar object blazing through our solar system could be a piece of "possibly hostile" alien technology, according to a controversial new study. The research, from a small group of scientists including a renowned alien-hunting Harvard University astronomer, argues that object 3I/ATLAS is actually an extraterrestrial probe in disguise. Advertisement 5 An artist's impression of interstellar object ʻOumuamua Credit: ESA 5 On 1 July, astronomers spotted a highly unusual object zooming towards our Sun at roughly 245,000 kilometres per hour - or 68km a second. With a "short tail" and a "fuzziness" around it, Judging by its bizarre orbit, experts determined that the super-fast space traveller had come from outside our solar system. That would make it the third interstellar object to pass Earth on record, following the rare visits of the famous 1I/ʻOumuamua asteroid in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. Advertisement READ MORE ON SPACE But Harvard astrophysics professor Avi Loeb and his colleagues suggest it could be something more advanced than an interstellar rock. "In this paper we present additional analysis into the astrodynamics of 3I/ATLAS, and hypothesise that this object could be technological," they write in their The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, added that the technology could even be "possibly hostile". Loeb and his colleagues say this would "be expected from the 'Dark Forest' resolution to the 'Fermi Paradox'" - a theory that alien civilisations exist throughout the universe but are both silent and hostile. Advertisement Most read in Science 'Dark Forest' theorists believe aliens remain hidden for fear of being destroyed by other intelligent lifeforms. It is one of many possible explanations of the Fermi Paradox , which aims to answer why humans have not yet found alien life. Why We Haven't Met Aliens Yet: 9 Theories Loeb is a controversial figure among astronomers and astrophysicists, having previously suggested that interstellar object 1I/ʻOumuamua may have also been an alien craft in 2017. Now 3I/ATLAS is showing signs it could be of alien origin as well, according to Loeb. Advertisement 5 The object's orbit, for example, brings it suspiciously close to Venus, Mars and Jupiter, Loeb writes in his study Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The object's orbit, for example, brings it suspiciously close to Venus, Mars and Jupiter, Loeb writes in his study. Yet separate experts told They insist that the available evidence points toward the object being completely natural. Advertisement What's the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet? Here's what you need to know, according to Nasa... Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth) Meteoroid: When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it'll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn't vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth's atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However rather than being made mostly of rock, a comet contains lots of ice and gas, which can result in amazing tails forming behind them (thanks to the ice and dust vaporizing) If it is natural like most researchers say, then 3I/ATLAS appears to be a comet older than our solar system - a whopping 7.6billion years old. The space rock is estimated to be up to 20km in size. Its current trajectory suggests it came from the Milky Way's 'thick disk' – a field of ancient stars. No comet from that region has ever graced Earth with a flyby, according to astronomers. Advertisement 5 'Dark Forest' theorists believe aliens remain hidden for fear of being destroyed by other intelligent lifeforms Credit: Alamy To figure out whether 3I/ATLAS really is an alien probe - similar to Earth's Voyager 1 and 2 - scientists will have to continue monitoring it. Radio waves coming from the object would be strong evidence that the object is of alien origin - assuming the probe was still in working order. Any signs of manoeuvring or propulsion would also be a good indicator that it's more than cosmic debris. Advertisement Plus, if it were to approach to Earth - a rare planet in the grand schemes of the universe - in a stable orbit. Our planet, with its water, healthy atmosphere, strong magnetic field and life, would be of great interest to other intelligent life. But for now, evidence mostly points towards 3I/ATLAS being an ancient, icy and speedy comet. 5 An artist's impression shows the first-known interstellar object to visit the solar system, 'Oumuamua, which was discovered on 19 October, 2017 Credit: Reuters Advertisement All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Three-year trips to Mars in 2030s, spaceship holidays & budget rocket trips to race around Earth, UK space hero predicts
SPACE isn't just for scientists and celebs – it'll be a hot holiday destination and will offer a shortcut to slash flight times too. They're just some of the predictions from British space hero Tim Peake, who sat down with The Sun for a chat about our off-Earth future . 9 Space hero Tim Peake was Britain's first European Space Agency astronaut Credit: Getty 9 Peake, who hails from Sussex, spent half a year on board the ISS Credit: Publicity - Getty Tim, 53, spent about 186 days in space, returning from the ISS on June 18, 2016. But when humans start making the first trips to Mars in the next decade or so, they'll be in space for a lot longer – potentially for three years. It sounds nightmarish, but Tim says we've done it all before, hundreds of years ago. 'A lot of people today forget about what we used to do in terms of exploration, the hardships, the torture, the kind of risk that was taken,' Tim told The Sun at Goodwood Festival of Speed's Future Lab earlier this month. Read more on space 'And in the early 1800s, nothing was thought about disappearing off on a three year expedition. 'That was pretty standard if you were in the Royal Navy. You say goodbye to your family and your mum. 'You say goodbye. You don't really know where you're going or what you're going to be doing, but you're just going to be away for a long time. 'So when I talk to people about in the mid 2030s, we're going to be on a three year mission to Mars and they kind of have this shock and horror that, well, that's so long, you'll never get people to go away for that long. Most read in Science 'Well, you will. We've done this before. 'It's only in the last 150 years that it hasn't been normal to have a three year expedition away, finding new lands and discovering new things. Nasa reveals mesmerising footage of Northern Lights from ISS 'And we're going to kind of go back into that kind of mindset. It's just that it won't be on Earth. It will be out into space.' Nasa hopes to make manned trips to Mars as soon as the 2030s, although no firm date has been set. But whenever those first visits happen, the astronauts will likely be a lot more comfortable than explorers of the past. 'The levels of resilience and self-sufficiency they needed was unbelievable. I mean, again, when we do Mars, the crew will have enough food, they'll have enough water, they'll have enough life support,' Tim said. 9 Six-month trips to the ISS will be nothing compared to a three-year Mars trek Credit: Getty He continued: 'We've mapped the surface, we'll have habitation modules for them. 'So it'll probably be a lot more comfortable than it would be setting off on endurance or HMS Wager back in the day.' SPACE STAYS For now, going to space is largely the preserve of professional astronauts, celebs and the ultra-wealthy. But in the future, Tim thinks that Tim credits Musk's company SpaceX with making space travel a lot cheaper. 'They've brought the cost of getting to space down so much, which is really exciting. 'Because that opens up whole markets of things you didn't think were possible because they were cost-prohibitive five or 10 years ago, that are now economically viable. 'So that's really exciting, but SpaceX is just the Uber that gets you there and back. 9 A return trip to and from Mars will be long and arduous – but Tim says explorers will be more than capable of surviving the time away from home Credit: Getty 'What's even more exciting is: now what can you do when you're up there?' Tim tells me that space tourism has been around for a long time – but it's becoming more frequent. And that's a trend that will only grow with time. 'It's part of the democratisation of space,' Tim told The Sun. 'I think fast-forward 100 years and there'll be an awful lot of people going to space for a variety of different reasons. 'Some for science, some for exploration, some for entertainment, and some for a different holiday.' Unsurprisingly, Tim reckons that we'd all be better off if we'd taken a trip to space. He says it gives you a different view of the world – and not just literally. WHO IS TIM PEAKE? Here's what you need to know... Major Tim Peake is a British Army officer and astronaut He is the first British astronaut with the European Space Agency He's also the sixth Brit to go aboard the International Space Agency Peake was born in Chichester, West Sussex in 1972 In 1990 he attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst In 1992, he joined the Army Air Corps Then two years later Peake became a qualified helicopter pilot Peake left the army in 2009 to follow his dream of becoming an astronaut He beat more than 9,000 applicants for one of six spots on the ESA's astronaut training programme He had to endure a rigorous selection process that tested his intellect and fitness Peake was launched to the ISS on December 15, 2015 In April the next year, he ran the 2016 London Marathon from the ISS treadmill And in June 2016, he finally returned to Earth, landing in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz descent module During his time in space, Peake completed roughly 3,000 orbits of Earth Picture Credit: Getty Images 'I think it is amazing. The more people that can witness Earth from space – Earth would be a better place. Definitely,' Tim said. 'People would have perhaps have a different perspective when they're making decisions. 'Having kind of seen how we all share one planet. And it looks fairly remote and isolated from space.' So your Moon vacation in 2065 won't just be a relaxing break, but an upgrade for your mind too. 9 Space tourism could be big business – Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has already shown off concepts for an Orbital Reef space station that could host holidaymakers Credit: Blur Origin 9 Travellers could pay large sums of money to enjoy off-Earth hols Credit: AFP EARTH, VIA SPACE Of course, space tourism isn't the only way rockets will help your holidays . Tim reckons it'll make moving around Earth easier too. Holidays to the Moon will involve blasting off from Earth and landing on the rocky satellite. But that's not the only version of going space – you can also take suborbital flights that skim space, and descend back to Earth. 9 'Some of those missions they're launching, say, from New Mexico . They're going up and landing in New Mexico ,' Tim explained. 'Having been into space, well, there's no reason why you couldn't launch in New Mexico and land in Paris on that same kind of mission. 'And that could be a new form of suborbital transportation that becomes very popular in the future.' It sounds nightmarishly expensive – and it probably would be at the start. 9 Tim Peake was the Randox Future Lab Ambassador at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed Credit: Nicole Hains / Goodwood Festival of Speed But eventually, Tim thinks, we could see the cost come down. Speaking to the astronaut, I joke that we could see Ryanair-style budget flights that only cost a tenner. 'I mean, if you if you went back to those early 1920s, 1930s transatlantic carriers, you would have found very wealthy people on board traveling in relative luxury ,' Tim told me. 'And if you'd have said, you know, in 100 years time, we're going to have the EasyJets and the Ryanairs – a mass global transportation at the same cost of a train ticket – they would never have believed it. 'So you never know what we can do with future changes in technology.' 9 The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach sat down with astronaut Tim Peake for a chat Credit: Sean Keach
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Terrifying new Earth-sized planet found with deadly secret that would instantly kill anyone visiting
A NEW Earth-sized planet has been discovered in a faraway constellation - and it would kill any astronaut who dare travel there. Some 117.4 light-years away from Earth, scientists have stumbled across a nightmarish alien world where the planet's surface is likely molten. 5 The surface of molten exoplanet Credit: Alamy 5 An artist's impression of a molten exoplanet Credit: Alamy The planet, dubbed TOI-2431, orbits quite close to its nearest star over a very short period, resulting in a high surface temperature. Unlike Earth, which has an orbital period of 365 days, TOI-2431 orbits its star in only 5.4 hours - making it one of the shortest period exoplanets ever discovered. The alien world, located in constellation Cetus, is thought to have a surface temperature of about 1,700C (3092F). Anything that lands there would be immediately incinerated. READ MORE ON SPACE The international team of astronomers, led by Kaya Han Taş of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, detected the new exoplanet orbiting a nearby star using Nasa's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). 5 Nasa's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Credit: Nasa "We have confirmed the ultra-short period planet TOI-2431 b using a combination of photometric transit data from TESS, precise radial velocity observations with the NEID and HPF spectrographs, and ground-based speckle imaging with the NESSI instrument," researchers wrote in the new The Nasa tool monitors about 200,000 bright stars near Earth, scanning for hidden planets that might cause any blips of light as they pass their star. Just last week, researchers revealed they used TESS to follow a Most read in Science Since its launch in April 2018, the satellite has identified more than 7,600 possible exoplanets - which are nicknamed TESS Objects of Interest, or TOI. Exactly 638 of these have been confirmed as alien worlds so far. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' The planet's host star is only about two-thirds the size and mass of our Sun, and appears to be pulling the planet towards a fiery death. Researchers estimated that the planet has a tidal decay timescale of about 31 million years - which is fairly short in the grand schemes of the universe. Tidal decay causes a planet's orbit to gradually shrink and spiral towards its host star - eventually leading to its destruction. The 2billion-year-old host star, which researchers believe is roughly double the temperature of its nearby planet, will eventually collide with the planet. Researchers hope they can secure time with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study TOI-2431 b more closely. Doing so could shed more light on the planet's surface composition, and may answer the question of whether or not it has an atmosphere. The $10 billion telescope 5 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Credit: Alamy 5 An artist's impression of a molten exoplanet Credit: Alamy All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the
