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A Night of Meteors & Auroras

The series of shots for this time-lapse video were taken by the Expedition 61 crew on board the International Space Station on January 04, 2020 from 11:09:00 to 11:33:50 GMT. On a night pass over the North Pacific Ocean, the ISS looks north and travels into the terminator line to capture a meteor shower, aurora borealis, and cities in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. What look like tiny white streaks flying towards Earth, are actually the meteors in the meteor shower.

Date posted: 2020/02/10

Want to learn more about the meteor shower from January 4, 2020? Read NASA's Earth Observatory article Watching Meteors from Space.

Compiled from frames ISS061-E-118803 to ISS061-E-120032

Earth Glow and Stars

This time-lapse video was taken by the Expedition 59 crew on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on May 10, 2019 from 07:05:57 to 07:30:05 GMT, on a night pass over the Pacific Ocean and North America. As the ISS travels northeast towards the United States, cities can be seen through some of the clouds and lightning storms. The quick bursts of light represent lightning in the clouds. Beyond Earth’s limb, many stars are visible from this vantage point of the Space Station.


Date posted: 2019/06/10

Compiled from frames ISS059-E-60045 to ISS059-E-60664

Moon Glow over North Pacific

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 38 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 30, 2014 from 13:34:12 to 13:38:48 GMT, on a pass over the Pacific Ocean, from just south of Alaska to west of California. This video primarily focuses on the glow of the Moon as the crew travels east into the sunrise. The glow on either side of the Moon as the video progresses is lens flare.


Date posted: 2014/02/10

Compiled from frames ISS038-E-39279 to ISS038-E-39463

Bangkok to North Pacific

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 38 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 30, 2014 from 13:07:04 to 13:31:39 GMT, on a pass from northeastern Malaysia to the North Pacific Ocean, just south of the Aleutian Islands. This video starts looking northeast toward Bangkok at night and continues to travel northeast toward Hong Kong, then continues toward the Korean Peninsula and Beijing area. Just before the video passes over the black of the Pacific Ocean, the Kamchatka Peninsula can be faintly seen, with few city lights and snow-covered. The video ends looking north/northeast toward the Aleutian Islands.

NEW- Click here for an annotated version of this video, which explains the geography throughout the time-lapse video.


Date posted: 2014/02/10

Compiled from frames ISS038-E-37941 to ISS038-E-38914

From Night to Day to Night Again

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 34 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 3, 2013 from 11:43:46 to 15:49:31 GMT, on a pass from northwestern Australia, making two complete orbits to eastern Quebec, near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This fast-paced video features the ISS completing two and a half orbits around the Earth, crossing the terminator line several times in the process. The video begins as the ISS is in darkness, and as the moon rises on the left side of the video, the ISS begins to pass over into daylight. Clouds mostly obscure the view during this first daylight pass with the exception of the Caucasus and Elburz Mountains just before the terminator. The ISS slips back into night as the moon again rises in the left side of the video. As the Station flies back into daylight, the ISS flies over Central America, the Caribbean Sea, and Cuba and Florida before flying over the northern Atlantic Ocean. Most of Western Europe is under cloud, and the first land that can be seen is the Alps Mountains and Croatia. The ISS then passes over the terminator line again into darkness as the moon rises in the left side of the video. As the ISS passes back over into daylight, clouds obscure most of the Earth until near the end of the video, when it passes over the Baja Peninsula and the southwestern United States.


Date posted: 2013/01/23

Compiled from frames ISS034-E-16709 to ISS034-E-18545

Aurora Borealis over North Pacific Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on February 8, 2012 from 10:31:38 to 10:35:25 GMT, on a pass over the North Pacific Ocean, from south of Alaska to just west of Vancouver. This video primarily focuses on the Aurora Borealis as the ISS travels southeast towards western Canada and the Coast Mountains.


Date posted: 2012/10/29

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-113865 to ISS030-E-114092

Across the Pacific Ocean

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 08:39:47 to 09:11:23 GMT, on a pass from southeast of New Zealand to northern Texas. This fast-paced video first features the Aurora Australis over the Southern Hemisphere as the stars shoot by over the Pacific Ocean. The video ends as the ISS travels over the southwestern United States.


Date posted: 2012/08/29

Compiled from frames ISS031-E-66034 to ISS031-E-66136

Northeastern Asia through the Cupola

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 6, 2012 from 06:28:09 to 06:41:08 GMT, on a pass from northeastern Kazakhstan to the North Pacific Ocean, east of Japan. This video features the ISS flying over northeastern Asia and over the Pacific Ocean. This pass begins over northeastern Kazakhstan, as the ISS begins traveling east and then southeast over the Baykal Lake in southeastern Russia, along with several smoke plumes from fires in the surrounding areas. The pass continues over cirrus clouds and possible smoke plumes before the ISS travels over northeastern China and ends over the North Pacific Ocean.


Date posted: 2012/08/29

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Moon Rising over Pacific Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 8, 2012 from 05:02:43 to 05:14:35 GMT, on a pass from South Pacific Ocean, near French Polynesia, to the North Pacific Ocean, west of Hawaii. As this video begins, the ISS is passing over the terminator line into darkness. A crew member inside of the Cupola then opens up the shades over the Cupola windows to observe the moon rising over the horizon.


Date posted: 2012/06/14

Compiled from frames ISS031-E-16172 to ISS031-E-16884

From California to Mexico

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 west of northern California to southern Mexico. This video begins looking southeast over California and the Pacific Ocean, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains off to the left of the video. As the ISS continues southeast, the large city of Los Angeles can be seen on the coastline, north of the Baja Peninsula. The pass ends overlooking northern Mexico.


Date posted: 2012/06/14

Compiled from frames ISS031-E-38585 to ISS031-E-39119

The Pacific Ocean Through the Cupola

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 06:27:11 to 06:48:15 GMT, on a pass from the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia, to southwestern New Mexico. This video is primarily focused on the Pacific Ocean through the Cupola window. As the ISS travels over the ocean, the lights from the islands of Hawaii stand out against the blue water. The pass continues southeast towards northwestern Central America and southwestern United States and ends looking at city lights over this region.


Date posted: 2012/05/30

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-212179 to ISS030-E-212602

Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean Through the Cupola

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 06:16:05 to 06:26:55 GMT, on a pass from just south of eastern Australia to the South Pacific Ocean. This video begins as the ISS travels over the Indian Ocean, east and then northeast to the Pacific Ocean. As the ISS travels to the east, the sun can be seen setting off in the west (away from the direction of travel). As the sun sets over the horizon, refraction from the Earth's atmosphere causes the sun to appear orange before setting behind the planet.


Date posted: 2012/05/30

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-211603 to ISS030-E-212178

Sunrise from the Cupola

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 14:04:51 to 14:17:28 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean, south of the Gulf of Alaska, to western Pennsylvania. This video was taken looking out of the Cupola window as the sun is rising. The snow-covered Coast Mountains off the Pacific Coast are first to be seen as the ISS flies over southern Canada and the northern United States (mostly under cloud).


Date posted: 2012/05/16

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-183000 to ISS030-E-183757

Aurora Borealis from the Pacific Ocean to the U.S. Coast

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken February 8, 2012 from 10:32:23 to 10:36:25 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean, south of Alaska, to the northwest corner of the United States. This video displays the Aurora Borealis over Canada and the North Pole, and shows the dynamic motions of the aurora near the beginning of the video. The pass begins looking north towards Alaska, where Anchorage can be seen faintly through the clouds and snow. The pass continues down the coastline towards the northwestern United States, where we can see the Coast Mountains and the Rocky Mountains.


Date posted: 2012/03/15

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-115686 to ISS030-E-115928

Stars from the Pacific Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from February 25-26 at a variety of times, mainly over the Pacific Ocean. This video is comprised of 8 short videos where the astronauts left the shutter open for an extended period of time to capture the moving star field.

This video consists of unique exposure techniques to display the star field and ground lights, and may therefore create a dizzying effect for the user.


Date posted: 2012/03/15

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-112380 to ISS030-E-112803 & ISS030-E-112831 to ISS030-E-113059

Over the Northern United States and Canada

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken February 5, 2012 from 05:23:05 to 05:30:41 GMT, on a pass from the Pacific Ocean, west of the Baja Peninsula, to Lake Superior. The first land that can be seen over the Pacific Ocean during this pass is that of Guadalupe Island west of the Baja Peninsula. As the ISS travels northeast, the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles can be seen along the coastline near the right side of the video. Continuing northeast, the cities of Phoenix and Las Vegas are seen, until the ISS passes over Denver under cloud and snow. The pass ends looking southwest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.


Date posted: 2012/02/29

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-88797 to ISS030-E-89253

Aurora Borealis over Canada

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken February 4, 2012 from 07:55:23 to 08:06:39 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean, west of Oregon, to southwestern Quebec. This video was taken as the ISS traveled northeast, facing the camera towards the North Pole and focusing on the Aurora Borealis. The first land that is seen shows the snow-covered Coast and Rocky Mountains, along with the cities of Vancouver and Seattle along the coast. The rest of the pass looks at Canada under snow, as the ISS passes over arms of the Aurora.


Date posted: 2012/02/29

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-84614 to ISS030-E-85290

Stars over the Pacific Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 22, 2012 from 13:35:50 to 13:48:02 GMT, on a pass over the North Pacific Ocean, from west of Hawaii to just southwest of Vancouver. This video mainly involves the stars over the North Pacific Ocean as the ISS travels northeast towards southwestern Canada. The camera used to take this time-lapse sequence captures a great multitude of stars and constellations as looks west out of the Cupola. The pass ends near Vancouver, where the Aurora Borealis is seen.


Date posted: 2012/02/16

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-68505 to ISS030-E-68749

Moonglow over Canada and Northern U.S.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken February 4, 2012 from 07:55:38 to 08:11:19 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean, just west of Oregon, to the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Nova Scotia. This pass begins over the cloudy North Pacific Ocean, looking back at the Soyuz. As the ISS begins to fly over land, the camera points southwest towards San Francisco and Seattle. The pass continues over southern Canada, where smaller cities can be seen. The glow from the moonlight illuminates small rivers throughout the video. As the pass continues over Canada, most of the land is covered with snow. The video finishes as the ISS passes over the New England and southeastern Canada region, looking southwest towards Montreal and Cape Cod areas.


Date posted: 2012/02/16

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-66862 to ISS030-E-67803

Aurora Borealis over North America

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 25, 2012 from 12:30:27 to 12:32:06 GMT, on a pass over the North Pacific Ocean, west of Oregon and Washington state. This short video focuses on the Aurora Borealis streaming across the North Pacific Ocean and over Canada.


Date posted: 2012/02/16

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-61168 to ISS030-E-61266

Aurora Borealis over the Pacific Ocean

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 25, 2012 from 12:32:06 to 12:34:10 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean to just southwest of Vancouver Island. In this video, the International Space Station approaches the Aurora Borealis from the Pacific Ocean, where the auroras can be seen dancing very near the Station.


Date posted: 2012/02/03

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-56268 to ISS030-E-56392

Aurora Borealis over Northern North America and Canada

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 29, 2012 from 10:18:13 to 10:31:28 GMT, on a pass from the North Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles west of California, to western Quebec. This video begins as the ISS is passing over the dark waters of the North Pacific Ocean northeast towards Vancouver Island. The Aurora Borealis can be seen far north, where both the under side and top of the aurora are visible. The pass continues over Canada until the sun begins to come up in the east while over Quebec.


Date posted: 2012/02/03

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-52115 to ISS030-E-52864

Aurora Australis 2

Video of the Aurora Australis taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. This sequence of shots was taken September 18, 2011 from 11:54:56 to 12:18:33 GMT, on an ascending pass from south of Australia in the Southern Pacific Ocean to the Northern Pacific Ocean, west of Central America. Moving lights can be seen several times throughout the video, and the most likely explanation is that these are satellites illuminated by the sun. The Milky Way can be clearly seen rotating slowly through the frames. The glow from the computer screens inside of the cabin is seen throughout the video near the solar panels.


Date posted: 2011/09/28

Compiled from frames ISS029-E-8492 to ISS029-E-8964