ISS astronaut shares epic photo of a ‘starry starry night’

NASA astronaut Don Pettit has once again captured a stunning image of the Milky Way from the International Space Station (ISS), showcasing Earth and city lights below the orbital outpost.

Starry starry night from an orbital palette pic.twitter.com/YpFVIEMzO9

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) February 15, 2025

Shared on social media, the image quickly gained likes and positive comments, with one individual expressing that they would never want to return to Earth if they saw it in person.

Another described the image as “cosmic strokes on a celestial canvas.”

The photograph follows another striking shot posted by Pettit last week from inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked at the space station.

Star field from @Space_Station. Taken from the SpaceX Crew 9 Dragon vehicle showing the Southern Cross region using my homemade star tracker. Big thanks to @BabakTafreshi for doing the image processing I can’t do on orbit. pic.twitter.com/Tx4SmHXUXk

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) February 12, 2025

Pettit mentions a “star tracker” device that he co-designed and built to capture sharp photos of stars by compensating for the station’s motion.

Since arriving at the ISS, Pettit has been showcasing his photography skills with impressive images of Earth and beyond, including rivers in the Amazon Basin and the launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.

He has also participated in Q&A sessions from the ISS and demonstrated unique camera techniques in microgravity.