An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently took a stunning photograph of Earth, revealing a breathtaking perspective of our planet and the cosmos beyond.

On January 29, 2025, astronaut Don Pettit snapped this remarkable image while the ISS soared approximately 265 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just before dawn. At this time, much of the Earth visible in the photo remains shrouded in darkness.

The majestic Milky Way galaxy serves as a backdrop, where its gaseous, elongated structure can be observed from an edge-on viewpoint, providing a captivating view across its diameter.

This photograph was captured using a camera configured for low light and long exposure, which allowed Pettit to illustrate the motion of Earth’s rotation set against the crisp backdrop of the myriad stars in the Milky Way.

In an interesting twist, our planet, known for its vibrant blue and green hues accented with delicate white clouds, appears in this image with a mossy green tint. A thin white band marks the boundary of Earth’s atmosphere, demarcating our world from the vastness of space.

Pettit is a member of NASA’s Expedition 72 crew, which includes fellow astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Nick Hague. Williams and Wilmore recently gained media attention after being delayed in their return to Earth. Their situation sparked controversy when Elon Musk claimed they were stranded due to political motives, leading to a heated exchange with a former ISS commander who disputed this narrative. The astronauts are currently slated to return home aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in March.

The day following this photo’s capture, Williams and Wilmore participated in a 5.5-hour spacewalk. During this event, Williams set a new record for the most cumulative spacewalk time by a woman, increasing her total to 62 hours and 6 minutes, surpassing the previous record of 60 hours and 21 minutes. So, despite the circumstances, the astronauts remain productive during their time on the ISS.

Pettit’s incredible photograph joins a distinguished collection of orbital imagery of Earth. He previously captured a breathtaking shot of our planet alongside two satellite galaxies last December. According to Pettit, he utilized a “home-made tracking device” for the long exposures necessary to photograph star fields, hinting that more captivating images will follow.

It appears that this latest surreal depiction of Earth utilized similar techniques, allowing Pettit to achieve a clear view of the stars from low-Earth orbit.

In addition to his photographic achievements, Pettit made headlines recently by sharing a humorous video of himself jumping into his pants two legs at a time—a skill he claims he can perform without the aid of zero gravity, as evidenced by his three pairs of torn pants.