Science / Astronaut shares pic of Earth at night from space, says 'who needs special effects'

Washington: Thomas Pesquet is a French aerospace engineer who is currently on a mission lead by the European Space Agency. He has been residing in the International Space Station (ISS) since April. Recently, the astronaut shared some breathtaking visuals of the Earth from the ISS.

Despite being just a blue speck on the pitch-black and eternal cosmos, the Earth in the image looks like it has engulfed an entire constellation within it.

Sharing the image, which is from the dark side of the Earth and is displaying a scintillating effect due to the lights on Earth, Thomas, in the caption, wrote, “Who needs special effects or science fiction, when you have a space station.”

Have a look at it:

Thomas also attached a link to Flickr, where he shared more images from the day these pictures were clicked. He stated that the weather on Earth has been ideal lately, and it would seem that it does not affect the astronauts up in space, but it sure does affect the pictures. Providing a clear shot to the camera, this magical sight is the result of clear skies and city lights. Altogether, it is a visual treat.

Here is another picture shared by Thomas with South Africa during the night at the display. The picture is more like an illusion created by the dark seas, making the Earth look like an egg rather than a sphere. The orange shade provided by the Earth’s atmosphere is simply amazing.

Thomas Pesquet zoomed into space on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, which was launched from Florida. This is the second time that Thomas has paid a visit to the International Space Station. Before this, he visited in 2017. The Mission Alpha, named after the star Alpha Centauri, is an ESA mission that will be culminated by October.