Video ISS: ESA shares the fabulous journey of the longest time since space

TThis is the best way to celebrate the anniversary of the International Space Station with a cinematic lapse of time.

Presented by astronaut Alexander Gerst, astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA), ESA released last November 20 its longest continuous film since the ISS, in the ### 39th anniversary of the 20th anniversary of the laboratory of weightlessness. In just under 15 minutes, Gerst seduced during an awesome tour of our blue point from 400 kilometers – about 249 miles – above.

Accelerated 12.5 times, the video includes a reel of about 21,375 images taken in three hours. On October 6, 2018, Gerst captured the magnificent view from the Cupola observatory built in Europe. Viewers begin over Tunisia, passing through Crimea before capturing the urban glow of Beijing. Since the ISS, Gerst has even recorded thunderbolts, which appear as shining light bursts in complete darkness while half of the globe sleeps.

Take pictures 400 kilometers above the earth

There is a constant effort to capture clear images as the ISS goes into orbit at 28,800 kilometers per hour. It only takes 90 minutes for the station to complete a circuit around the Earth, but nighttime shooting is a particularly difficult challenge, as the cameras require sufficient lighting to take a sharp picture. Back on the surface of our globe, photographers simply leave the shutter open to accumulate more light. But with the ISS circling the world, a slower shutter speed would produce a blurry, brilliant but disappointing set of images.

Cue it Nightpod. Located in the dome, the device explains the movement of the ISS by allowing astronauts to focus on a specific point of the Earth, allowing them to capture images of light on Earth, light pollution of the city vegetation fires. Since its installation in 2012, the camera has illuminated the human experience around the world, from Washington D.C. acorns to the clear border between gas lamps and sodium lamps between West Berlin and East Berlin. Fortunately for us, it also captures the beautiful transition from day to night and vice versa, leaving viewers see a blinding sunrise from space.

In the left part of the video frame at the top of this article, viewers can view the ISS's solar panels by occasionally turning to an optimal angle to absorb the sun's rays. On the right is the Japanese HTV-7, a cargo ship moored at the ISS until November 7, 2018. If you need a little precision on your geography and lose sight of the location of the ISS, a map in the upper right corner follows the path of the station.

The release of the video celebrates the launch of the first element of the ISS (the Zarya control module), which marked the station's anniversary November 20, 1998. It may not be an 8K video, but for the big day of the orbital outpost, it's absolute gold.