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Astronauts on the International Space Station enjoy a fascinating view of Earth. They orbit the planet every 90 minutes, so they see lots of sunrises, night city lights, blue ocean water, and colorful landscapes.
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The best photos taken so far from the space station in 2021, which follow below, feature bright auroras, mesmerizing cultivation patterns, and stunning mountain ranges. Some astronauts try to find their birthplace on the globe, while others explore national parks to someday visit.
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But as the climate crisis escalates, the crew may also see devastating wildfires burning, along with hurricanes like Ida and drought in the western United States. Astronauts say this extreme weather is “sad” and “worrying”.
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Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) drink every day in front of a breathtaking view.
Over 250 miles above Earth, they can see city lights, mountain ranges, major storms, and melting glaciers.
Since the space station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day.
There are currently seven people on the station.
Some of them, including European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, regularly post stunning photos on social media.
Agricultural areas can make beautiful patterns, like these farms in the desert. It’s not easy to pinpoint the exact locations from space, but Pesquet said it was somewhere in Africa.
In some places, like Bolivia, these pretty patterns – and the cultures that grow there – come at the expense of clearing tropical forests.
When spaceships make their way to the station, carrying astronauts or supplies, those aboard the ISS often watch the rocket race towards them.
Astronauts don’t always know what they are looking at.
But sometimes they spot something distinct and dramatic, like a gas-spitting volcano.
Sometimes they even spy on their home country – like this photo taken by Pesquet of his hometown in Normandy, France.
“How can something so beautiful be tolerated by human eyes?” NASA astronaut Mike Massimino told the Washington Post, referring to his feelings the first time he saw Earth from above.
Source: The Washington Post
But lately some of the views from the ISS have been more concerning.
“We were very saddened to see fires on huge sections of the Earth, not just in the United States,” McArthur told Insider on a recent call from the space station.
Other consequences of climate change are also easily visible from the ISS. “We can see all of these effects from here,” McArthur said.
Pesquet photographed Hurricane Ida just hours before it hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.
“It’s worrying to see these weather phenomena getting stronger and more frequent from our perspective,” Pesquet said on Twitter.
Lately, astronauts may even see reservoirs dwindling along the Colorado River, which is experiencing its first official water shortage.
On the bright side, however, astronauts got a stunning view of the Aurora Australis earlier this month.
“I wasn’t surprised by the auroras, but I was a bit overwhelmed by how breathtaking they were and how fascinating it was to see them with my own eyes,” said McArthur.
McArthur has also explored which US national parks to visit with her husband – astronaut Bob Behnken – and their son once she returns to the ground.
Passing over the United States, she can see several national parks within minutes.
“The other thing we can see, of course, is the very thin lens of the atmosphere,” McArthur said.
“This is what protects our Earth and everything on it,” she added. “We see how fragile it is and we know how important it is.”
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