Above the Mediterranean Sea

This time-lapse, captured by the Expedition 60 crew on August 10, 2019 from 10:11:42 to 10:18:06 GMT, sweeps northeast from the coast of Tunisia, across Sicily, Italy, the Adriatic Sea, over the Carpathian Mountains, and ending over Russia.

West Africa to the Alps - Dec. 2017

This time-lapse video was taken by the Expedition 53 crew on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots were taken on December 7, 2017 from 14:05:42 to 14:19:01 GMT, on a day pass from the north Atlantic Ocean to the Italian Alps. The video begins over the cloudy Atlantic Ocean and passes over clusters of islands. The western coast of Africa comes into view with dust blowing over from the Sahara Desert. The ISS continues over the African countries of Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, and Algeria. The Atlas Mountains are clearly visible along the Mediterranean coast. The narrow Strait of Gibraltar separates the Iberian Peninsula from Africa. Much of France and Italy are cloud covered, with the exception of the Alps.

Space Shuttle Discovery over Earth - Apr. 2010

This time-lapse video was taken by the STS-131 Mission crew on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots were taken from April 12-16, 2010. The video is a compilation of time-lapse photos showing Space Shuttle Discovery docked at the ISS from various angles and times of day.

Transit Across Africa - Sept. 2017

This time-lapse video was taken by the Expedition 52 crew on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots were taken on April 1, 2017 from 12:14:00 to 12:47:16 GMT, on a northeast to southwest pass across Africa. The video begins over the northern Atlantic Ocean, passes over the Strait of Gibraltar, and across the Sahara Desert. Much of central Africa is cloud covered until the ISS passes by Lake Malawi. The last land seen in this video is the southern end of the island of Madagascar. The video ends over the vast blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

Looking nadir from W. Europe to Red Sea

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 42 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 7, 2015 from 11:54:21 to 12:10:59 GMT, on a pass from the northern Atlantic Ocean, west of England, to eastern Somalia. This video looks straight down from the International Space Station (known as 'nadir') as the ISS passes over Western Europe and flies southeast toward the Red Sea. The pass begins flying toward the English Channel and France before the ISS passes over the Alps and down the Italian Peninsula. Immediately following the Italian Peninsula, Greece can be seen before the ISS flies over the Nile River Delta in Egypt and finally down the Red Sea and the Arabian Peninsula.

Western Africa to Japan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 34 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 4, 2013 from 05:23:00 to 05:56:16 GMT, on a pass from the border of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo to just east of Japan. This video begins as the ISS travels northeast over central Africa just after sunrise. As the ISS flies over northeastern Africa, the Nile River can be seen in a zigzag pattern across the rust-colored desert. The ISS then crosses over the Red Sea before flying over the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East region. The video ends as the ISS travels northeast over the snow-covered areas of western Russia and China.

From Western Europe to Western Africa

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 22, 2012 from 11:06:04 to 11:16:05 GMT, on a pass the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Portugal, to northern Cameroon. This video begins as the ISS is flying over the North Atlantic Ocean, looking east towards the Iberian Peninsula and the Strait of Gibraltar. As the ISS continues southeast towards Africa, the rust-colored sand dunes of the Sahara are seen as a solar panel is seen at the top of the screen. The pass ends as the ISS travels over the separating line between desert and tropical area.

From North Africa to East Africa

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 19, 2012 from 10:39:23 to 10:53:05 GMT, on a pass from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Arabian Sea, just east of southern Somalia. This video features a unique viewing angle as the camera is pointing near nadir at the Earth as the ISS is flying over Africa. The ISS flies over the Sahara Desert, where the sand dunes and some agricultural patterns are seen, before flying over the Nile River. As the ISS continues southeast, the distinct separating line between the desert region and more tropical region of Africa are seen as the landscape changes from a rust color to more lush green. The pass ends as the ISS passes over the coastline of eastern Africa and the Arabian Sea.

From Egypt to Arabian Sea

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 19, 2012 from 10:44:20 to 10:54:57 GMT, on a pass from western Egypt to east of Tanzania. This video begins looking back down track towards the Soyuz and the Sahara Desert, with the Mediterranean Sea in the far back. As the ISS continues southeast over northern Africa, the clear line between the dry Sahara sands and the more tropical region of central Africa stands out. The video ends over the Indian Ocean. The pass ends as the ISS passes over the coastline of eastern Africa and the Arabian Sea.

Western Europe and Arabian Peninsula at Dawn
This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 27, 2012 from 06:32:41 to 06:49:19 GMT, on a pass from the Celtic Sea, south of Ireland, to northeastern Ethiopia. This video begins looking southeast over France and Germany in Western Europe as the ISS passes southeast towards the Alps Mountains and the Italian Peninsula and the Adriatic Sea, then further southeast over the Balkan Peninsula. The pass continues over the Mediterranean Sea and over the Arabian Peninsula, and ends looking out over the Arabian Sea. The pass ends as the ISS passes over the coastline of eastern Africa and the Arabian Sea.

From Turkey to Iran

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 23, 2012 from 07:06:33 to 07:10:21 GMT, on a pass from northern Turkey, near the Black Sea, to southwestern Iran. This video begins looking southeast over southern Turkey as the ISS passes over the southern Black Sea and Lake Van. The pass continues over Lake Van, with the Caspian Sea covered by cloud on the right side of the video and heavy dust over the left side of the video. The video ends looking over the Persian Gulf and the Zagros Mountains.

From Tyrrhenian Sea to Libya

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 13, 2012 from 14:26:58 to 14:43:30 GMT, on a pass from the Tyrrhenian Sea, east of Spain, to central Libya. This short video begins looking east over the Mediterranean Sea at northern Africa and Sardinia and Corsica. As the ISS travels southeast, the clay color of the Libyan Desert contrasts the blue of the Mediterranean Sea before the pass ends overlooking the sand dunes of the desert.

From Western to Eastern Africa

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 13, 2012 from 14:26:58 to 14:43:30 GMT, on a pass from northern Algeria to the Mozambique Channel. This video begins looking east over northwestern Africa and southern Spain, over the Mediterranean Sea. As the ISS travels southeast, the Sahara Desert is seen before the ISS travels over the transition of desert to vegetation. Clouds obstruct the view until the video ends looking over the terminator line, separating the daytime light from nighttime darkness.

From Ireland to Somalia

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 14, 2012 from 11:52:53 to 12:09:28 GMT, on a pass from the Celtic Sea, south of Ireland, to northern Somalia. This video begins by looking southeast to northwestern Europe. As the ISS travels southeast over France, Germany, and other Western European countries, the Alps Mountains can be seen with snow cover on them. Continuing southeast over the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River delta can be seen before traveling over the Arabian Peninsula. The pass ends over the southern Arabian Peninsula, looking over the Arabian Sea.

From Atlantic Ocean to Kazakhstan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 14, 2012 from 21:12:29 to 21:21:35 GMT, on a pass from the South Atlantic Ocean, south of Liberia, to northern Kazakhstan. This video shows the view out of all the windows in the Cupola, and begins by looking over the Atlantic Ocean. The ISS travels east towards Africa, with the clay-colored sands of the Sahara Desert. As the ISS crosses over Africa and then over the Mediterranean Sea, the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula stands out before traveling over Eastern Europe.

Western Quebec to Southern Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 25, 2012 from 11:04:11 to 11:45:06 GMT, on a pass from western Quebec to the Southern Ocean, near the Kerguelen Islands. This video begins over Quebec, where most of the ground is still covered in snow. The ISS travels southeast over the Atlantic Ocean, before reaching the Canary Islands and the clay-colored desert of northwestern Africa. The pass continues southeast over the Gulf of Guinea and south-central Africa, which is heavily covered by clouds. The pass ends over the Southern Ocean.

From the Atlantic Ocean to the Southern Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 31, 2012 from 08:44:05 to 09:11:27 GMT, on a pass from the Atlantic Ocean, west of Morocco, to the Southern Ocean, northwest of the Kerguelen Islands. This video, which looks out of the entire Cupola window, displays the sphere of the Earth. The video begins over the vibrant, blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean before flying over the clay-colored sands of northern Africa. The ISS continues southeast over northwestern Africa, crosses over the Gulf of Guinea, and continues southeast over central Africa. A very clear view of the Okavango Delta appears over south-central Africa before the ISS travels over the southern Indian Ocean and to the Southern Ocean.

Atlantic Ocean East to New Zealand

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 10, 2012 from 07:42:00 to 08:39:50 GMT, on a pass from the Atlantic Ocean, west of Guinea in western Africa, to northern New Zealand. This video was taken as the crew faced the camera back at the Soyuz and down at the Earth, and represents around half of one orbit track. The video begins as the ISS crosses over the terminator line, which is the line separating day and night time. The first bit of land seen is that of northwestern Africa, where we can see the rusty colors of the Sahara Desert, including the dunes in the sand that look like ripples. Continuing northeast, the ISS passes over the southern half of Italy, which is over heavy cloud, and then on to the Balkan Peninsula (also under cloud). There is a brief jump in the video where the crew stopped acquiring imagery for approximately 20 minutes, and then resumed over the Philippine Sea. The video ends as the ISS is traveling southeast to the east of Australia.

Over Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Himalayas

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 2, 2012 from 05:37:31 to 06:02:03 GMT, on a pass from southern Africa northeast to northern China. This video begins over southern Africa looking west as the ISS travels northeast up the coast. As the ISS continues northeast over the Indian Ocean, the landscape over Africa changes from green to a clay-colored orange sands of the desert. The pass continues looking over the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula and over the Middle Eastern countries of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The ISS passes over the snow-covered mountains of the Himalayas and finally over the Tibetan Plateau.

Western Africa to Northern Kazakhstan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 31, 2011 from 12:22:38 to 12:39:58 GMT, on a pass from northwest Africa, near Western Sahara, to northern Kazakhstan. The pass begins looking back from the ISS along the northwestern coast of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. As the ISS tracks northeast, the Canary Islands can be seen just off the coast of Western Sahara and Morocco. The pass continues over the Strait of Gibraltar, eastern Spain, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. As the ISS continues northeast, it passes over the northern half of the Italian Peninsula before continuing over the snow-covered Balkan Peninsula. The pass ends as it continues east-northeast, but much of the ground is covered with snow.

South Atlantic Ocean to Iran

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 3, 2012 from 15:01:30 to 15:08:17 GMT, on a pass from the South Atlantic Ocean to western Iran, just west of the Caspian Sea. The first half of the video is over the Atlantic Ocean, with various cloud patterns seen over the water. As the ISS travels northeast toward the Gulf of Guinea near Africa, the video transitions from the greener parts of central Africa to the clay-colored sands of the desert in northern Africa. The pass continues over the Nile River, which can be distinguished easily from the sand dunes because of its lush green color. The pass ends over western Iran.

Mediterranean Sea to Kazakhstan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 02, 2012 from 10:35:30 to 10:46:38 GMT, on a pass from the south Mediterranean Sea, just east of Tunisia, to northern Kazakhstan. This pass begins looking back from the ISS toward Algeria and Tunisia. As the ISS travels northeast toward the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Tunis and the Gulf of Hammamet are seen, as well as an oblique view of Tunisia's capital city, Tunis. The pass continues over Sicily and the southern half of Italy, before continuing to the Balkan Peninsula. The pass ends over the snow-covered country of Kazakhstan.

Africa to Kazakhstan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 30, 2011 from 08:20:04 to 08:46:58 GMT, on a pass from over the South Atlantic Ocean, west of South Africa, to far southern Kazakhstan, near the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The pass begins looking back from the ISS over the Atlantic Ocean. Altocumulus clouds are seen before land appears. The first land is that of western Africa, over the Namib Desert. The pass continues over central Africa, which is mostly covered by clouds. Once past the clouds, the ISS passes northeast toward southern Sudan, and finally to the Red Sea. As the ISS crosses the Red Sea, the Dahlak Archipelago is seen with reefs and shoals surrounding the islands. The ISS continues to the Arabian Peninsula, across the northern Persian Gulf, and across the Zagros Mountains in Iran. Finally, the pass ends over Iran toward the southern half of the Caspian Sea and Elburz Mountains.

Looking Behind the ISS at North Africa, Western Europe, and Across the Terminator

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 28, 2011 from 13:32:55 to 13:54:42 GMT, on a pass beginning just west of Africa, over Cape Verde, to eastern Kazakhstan. The video begins looking backtrack from the ISS toward the Atlantic Ocean, where the Cape Verde islands can be seen. As the ISS travels northeast, the western coast of Africa can be seen before traveling over the Strait of Gibraltar and toward Spain and Portugal. The snow-covered Alps Mountains can be seen as the ISS continues northeast toward Kazakhstan. The video ends with a great shot of the Terminator line, which is where the ISS passes into the Earth's nighttime hours.

Day Pass over the Dunes in Africa to Snow-Covered Kazakhstan

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 29, 2011 from 10:59:09 to 11:21:09 GMT, on a pass from the Gulf of Guinea, just south of Cote d'Ivoire, to northern Kazakhstan. The pass begins looking behind the International Space Station toward the Atlantic Ocean before continuing northeast over northern Africa. The dunes in the deserts of northern Africa can be carefully seen. The pass continues over the Gulf of Sidra and the Mediterranean Sea to Greece, and on toward the Black Sea and the snow-covered Pontic Mountains. The pass ends over the snow-covered Kazakhstan before the ISS crosses over the Terminator.

ISS flies over Africa, the Mideast, and the Terminator line

This video sequence was created using a series of still images taken onboard the International Space Station on August 21, 2011, from 14:12:10 to 14:43:48 GMT. In this video, you can clearly see as the ISS passes over central Africa through the desert and northeastward to Egypt and the Nile River Delta. The Baku peninsula in the Caspian Sea stands out under slight cloud cover, and one of the final landmarks you can see is the Aral Sea. Finally, the ISS approaches the terminator line, which is the line separating day and night on the surface of Earth.