NASA has revealed 2020’s top pictures of Earth that were taken by astronauts on the International Space Station.
The stunning shots have been revealed in a YouTube video.
5
The video was posted by the NASA Johnson YouTube account.
It starts with an amazing photo of Cuba and The Bahamas as seen from space.
Other highlights include an aerial view of the river Nile when it was very flooded.
There’s also a cool shot of swirling clouds in the Sahara Desert.
5
5
In total there are 20 pictures in the video compilation and it’s hard to pick out the most impressive.
One even shows Earth and the Moon as taken from the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that sent astronauts to the ISS late last year.
Sprawling cities also feature as well as extreme weather events.
5
Nasa said in a tweet posted on December 30: “The men and women who live and work on the International Space Station take thousands of photographs of their home planet every year, and we asked the folks at the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for a few of their favorites from 2020.”
5
The ISS orbits Earth 16 times a day so it’s no wonder the astronauts on board get a chance for some great international photos.
For 20 years now the ISS has always had human inhabitants onboard.
The longest stay on the station lasted for 437 days.
What is the ISS?
Here’s what you need to know about the International Space Station…
- The International Space Station, often abbreviated to ISS, is a large space craft that orbits Earth and houses astronauts who go up there to complete scientific missions
- Many countries worked together to build it and they work together to use it
- It is made up of many pieces, which astronauts had to send up individually on rockets and put together from 1998 to 2000
- Ever since the year 2000, people have lived on the ISS
- Nasa uses the station to learn about living and working in space
- It is approximately 250 miles above Earth and orbits around the planet just like a satellite
- Living inside the ISS is said to be like living inside a big house with five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a gym, lots of science labs and a big bay window for viewing Earth
HIGH FLYERS
Watch ‘Quantarids’ fireballs soar this week in 2021’s first meteor shower
IS IT A BIRD?
Eagle-eyed space fans spot UFO flying past ISS in ‘best sighting of 2020’
LOST IN SPACE
Great Conjunction as it happened: Watch how Jupiter & Saturn ‘nearly touched’
DEAD SPACE
Milky Way ‘littered with dead alien civilisations’ – and scientists know where
APOCALYPSE SOON
Bonkers conspiracy theories claim the world will end TODAY
In other space news, you may still be able to spot a peak of the first meteor shower of 2021.
Dead alien civilisations could be littered all over our galaxy, according to a new study.
And, Nasa has announced its first team of astronauts that will be heading for the Moon.
What was your favourite Earth photo? Let us know in the comments…
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
