From the vantage point of the International Space Station (ISS), Earth often appears as a vibrant marble — blue oceans, green continents, and swirling white clouds. But in a recent photograph taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit, our planet looks almost alien. Bathed in a mossy green hue, Earth’s surface is cloaked in pre-dawn darkness, while the Milky Way stretches across the background like a luminous river of stars.
This stunning photo was taken on January 29, 2025, from 265 miles (425 km) above the Pacific Ocean. Pettit, a seasoned astronaut and a pretty good photographer, used a camera with low-light and long-duration settings to reveal the Milky Way in stunning detail. The galaxy appears edge-on, its gassy, oblong shape cutting across the frame. A thin band of white light traces the curve of Earth’s atmosphere, marking the boundary between our planet and the infinite void of space.
An Astrophotographer from the ISS
Pettit, 69, is no stranger to capturing the cosmos. A veteran of three long-duration stays aboard the ISS, he has become known for his breathtaking images of Earth and space. In 2012, he photographed Venus transiting the sun from orbit—a first in space photography. More recently, he has turned his lens to auroras, star trails, and comets, using a homemade tracking device to stabilize his camera during long exposures.
In another shot shared on February 24, Pettit captured the aurora lighting up Earth’s horizon, with the Milky Way glowing faintly in the background. “The blue-purple emission is commonly seen during the sunrise-sunset phase of orbit,” he noted. “I am careful with the color adjustment to render the natural colors in a realistic way. I despise overboard color adjustments.”
“Time exposure using my orbital sidereal tracker from Dragon Crew 9 vehicle,” Pettit explained in a Reddit post. “This image shows horizon views of the Milky Way, atmospheric airglow, aurora, and the soon-to-rise sun over a cloudy Pacific Ocean.”
Life Aboard the ISS
As a member of the Expedition 72 crew, he is joined by NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Nick Hague. The team has been conducting experiments in pharmaceutical manufacturing, advanced life support systems, and genetic sequencing in microgravity. This research could benefit both space exploration and life on Earth.
Williams and Wilmore recently made headlines for their extended stay in space. Originally scheduled to return earlier, their mission was delayed, sparking a public spat between SpaceX owner Elon Musk and a former ISS commander. Musk called Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen an “idiot” after he pushed back on Musk’s claim that the Biden administration “left” Suni and Butch in space “for political reasons.”
“SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago. I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot,” Musk responded, also calling him another derogatory slur.
“Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla,” Mogensen wrote. “You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September,” he said, referring to the International Space Station.
Musk ignored Mogensen from that point on, instead writing on X: “It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars.”
The day after Pettit’s Milky Way photo was taken, Williams broke the record for the longest cumulative spacewalk time by a woman, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes outside the ISS. Her spacewalk became historic in another now iconic photo — the first female astronaut to be photographed from the ground during a spacewalk.
As the ISS continues its orbit, Pettit and his crewmates will keep exploring, experimenting, and capturing the beauty of space. And for those of us on Earth, their work offers a rare chance to see our world — and our galaxy — in a whole new light.
