The best photos of astronauts from space in 2021 show beauty and destruction

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Over 250 miles above Earth, they can see city lights, mountain ranges, major storms, and melting glaciers.

Istanbul city grid illuminated yellow gold at night with dark ocean waters and river dividing the city viewed from above

The night lights of Istanbul, Turkey, separated by the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn, on May 10, 2021.

Nasa



Since the space station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day.

the sun rises yellow orange above the dark surface of the earth below the blue atmosphere and black space above

The sun rises over the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia, photographed from the space station, on May 20, 2021.

Nasa



There are currently seven people on the station.

the yellow-brown mountain rises above a deep green forest

Mount Taranaki in New Zealand, captured from the ISS, on January 25, 2021.

Roscosmos



Some of them, including European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, regularly post great photos on social media.

The tokyo city gate lit up green at night with thin dark rivers dividing the city seen from above

The night lights of Tokyo, Japan on February 27, 2021.

Nasa



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.

desert dotted with blue and green circles of crops

A desert dotted with blue and green circles where crops grow, captured from the ISS.


ESA / Thomas Pesquet



In some places, like Bolivia, these pretty patterns – and the cultures that grow there – come at the expense of clearing tropical forests.

agricultural areas create star-shaped patterns in the rainforest of bolivia

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared this image on Twitter with the caption: “Star-shaped patterns in San Pedro Limón, Bolivia, where areas of tropical dry forest have been cleared for agriculture.”


ESA / Thomas Pesquet



When spaceships make their way to the station, carrying astronauts or supplies, those aboard the ISS often watch the rocket race towards them.

a sequence of light flares rise in the distance above the deep blue and black night clouds

The plasma trail from the Russian Progress 77 supply ship launched towards the ISS on July 26, 2021.

Nasa



Astronauts don’t always know what they are looking at.

brown desert covered with rusty or shrub-colored earthen islands

The far eastern and desert part of Western Australia, May 14, 2021.

Nasa



But sometimes they spot something distinct and dramatic, like a gas-spitting volcano.

the volcano emits steam above the snow-capped mountains

A volcano in the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, captured from the ISS, on April 2, 2021.

Roscosmos



Sometimes they even spy on their home country – like this photo taken by Pesquet of his hometown in Normandy, France.

normandy france coast purple yellow green speckled land against deep blue ocean

Astronaut Thomas Pesquet took this image of Normandy shortly after arriving at the International Space Station on April 28, 2021.

ESA / NASA – T. Pesquet



“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.

Cape Town's jagged mountainous coastline stretches out into the silvery waters of the Atlantic

Cape Town in South Africa is pictured with the reflection of the sun beaming off the southern Atlantic coast, captured from the ISS, on February 28, 2021.

Roscosmos



Source: The Washington Post



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