Photographing Star Trails From Space, At 17,000 MPH

Photographing Star Trails From Space, At 17,000 MPH
2012 06 08

Is this really Earth we see in these photographs? It can’t be. There’s no blue ocean, golden continents, or clearly delineated socio-political boundaries. It must be some sort of cosmic record player…or maybe just a really great Photoshop…of something.

ISS Astronaut Don Pettit offers a rare view from beyond the heavens.

In truth, these photos offer us a glimpse of Earth from the International Space Station. As the ISS circles Earth at roughly 17,000 miles per hour, Flight Engineer Don Pettit takes 30-second exposures with a stock digital camera, then stacks those exposures into single frames that capture 10-15 minutes on the ISS.

[...]

For the full article and a gallery of photographs, visit: FastCoDesign.com

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