Earth From Space: Amazing Astronaut Photos

Canadarm2 Above Earth

Rick Mastracchio (Twitter)

"Aurora like thunderstorms on the horizon with a bit of sunrise and Venus(?) rising up through it," wrote Rick Mastracchio Feb. 27 on Twitter. In the foreground is Canadarm2, a robotic arm used for space station assembly and repairs. [Read full story.]

Shiny Golden Boot

Koichi Wakata (Twitter)

The lights of Italy shine at night in this Feb. 15 picture from Koichi Wakata, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. [Read full story.]

San Francisco's Harbor From Space

Rick Mastracchio (Twitter)

The Golden Gate Bridge is visible in this picture of San Francisco that NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio shared from the International Space Station Feb. 23. [Read full story.]

Shimmering 'Wall Of Light'

Koichi Wakata (Twitter)

"Another photo of aurora at south of Australia. A huge wall of light," wrote Koichi Wakata, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Feb. 23. [Read full story.]

Cargo Ship Pulling Away From Station

Rick Mastracchio (Twitter)

Through a porthole in the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio caught this view of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus cargo spacecraft departing Feb. 18, over the Middle East. [Read full story.]

Moon Drifts Out Of View

Koichi Wakata (Twitter)

Earth's moon sets above the atmosphere of our planet. Picture taken by Koichi Wakata, from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and posted Feb. 21. [Read full story.]

Jagged Mountaintops

Rick Mastracchio (Twitter)

The Himalayas rise up just north of Nepal, India in this Feb. 11 photo from NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, aboard the International Space Station. [Read full story.]

Eye Of The Storm

Koichi Wakata (Twitter)

"We flew over a big tropical cyclone 'Guito' near Madagascar this morning, wrote Koichi Wakata, an astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Feb. 21. [Read full story.]

Come Sail Away

Rick Mastracchio (Twitter)

Boats are visible in this picture of a Maldive island taken by Rick Mastracchio from the International Space Station and posted Feb. 10. [Read full story.]

America's Heartland

Mike Hopkins (Twitter)

"Heartland of America. Has a certain beauty to it," wrote NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins Feb. 26. Hopkins and fellow Expedition 38 crew members Sergey Ryazanskiy and Oleg Kotov safely returned to Earth March 11. [Read full story.]

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace