This month’s Out of This World would be more appropriately titled Just Out of This World. I’ve been having a mini love affair with the International Space Station (ISS) as of late. This article is more proof of my recent fixation. I found some very enthralling flyovers taken by the ISS of our Earth, both at night and during the day. I recommend watching them in full screen mode with the lights off. If you use your imagination (dig deep, your childhood hasn’t abandoned you!), it almost feels like you’re flying over Earth.
The first one was taken by the crew of expedition 28 and 29. A number videos taken over the months were compiled to create the 5-minute long video. It’s packed with fascinating glimpses of environmental phenomenon that are beautiful although somewhat common for Earth dwellers. From space they are amazing: the aurora borealis, lightning and thunderstorms, city lights at dawn and at night. I also love seeing the solar panels of the ISS stretch out and rotate.
The second video shows city lights at night taken from 2002 to 2008. There is an informative intro detailing the first attempts to capture images from the ISS with still digital cameras and the challenges they faced due to orbital motion. If you didn’t know what you were looking at you would think you were peering into space at far away galaxies and nebulas. Rivers of light stretch out and curve around water bodies, terrestrial forms and manmade borders.
Now that I have that out of my system I might be able to move on to something new. No promises though!
Katie Nelson
Geospatial Ninja
(303) 718-7163
Katie@apollomapping.com
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