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As part of the International Space Station's 20th anniversary celebrations, the European Space Agency (ESA) has recently released a great time-lapse video taken from the research center in orbit.
Compiled by German astronaut Alexander Gerst and with a soundtrack of musician Matt Piper, based in Los Angeles, the video contains over 21,000 images captured from the space station in October while she was flying over the Earth at an altitude of about 400 km.
The breathtaking journey begins over Tunisia before heading to Beijing and continuing to Australia. You can track the precise position of the space station via the world map inserted at the top right of the screen. Labels also appear, informing us of the different cities and countries crossed.
Particularly beautiful are the times when the day turns into night and night during the day. During the night journey, there is still much to marvel, the big cities shine in the darkness and random lightning flashes reveal many storms down below.
When we pass over New Zealand, the sun bursts to the horizon, offering an effect similar to an eclipse while the light of a new day gradually fills the frame.
The space station travels at 28,800 km / h (17,895 mph). It takes just 90 minutes for the laboratory to weigh itself down for a complete circuit of the Earth. Gerst's time-lapse speeds up 12.5 times, giving us two complete tours in 15 minutes.
Are you wondering about the different parts of the space station that appear in the frame? On the left, some solar panels that help keep the station powered, while on the right, we see the Japanese cargo ship HTV-7 that docked at the space station on September 27, 2018 and where it will remain until November. 7, 2018. The white panels visible at the top left from 5:30 am are space station radiators that pump ammonia to exchange heat and keep the facilities and astronauts inside to the right temperature.
"Since the launch of the first module of the Baikonur Cosmodrome on November 20, 1998, the International Space Station has opened a new perspective on this planet that we call our home," ESA said on its website. As for Gerst, he expressed his thoughts in a recent tweet:
Congratulations to humanity for 20 years of overcoming differences, sharing a vision and creating the most precious, complex and unlikely machine ever built by humans – for the benefit of all. Be it the basis of a bright future! https://t.co/7XnBTuwssQ
– Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) November 20, 2018
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