Three NASA astronauts are currently racing around the planet on the space station. The astronauts are Jessica Koch, Andrew “Drew” Morgan and Jessica Meir from the US. The ISS crew members are also joined by Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Skripochka, and ISS Commander Luca Parmitano from Italy.
Together, the six astronauts spend their days conducting hundreds of groundbreaking experiment in the space station’s microgravity environment.
In their free time, however, they often gaze out of the space station’s many windows at the beautiful planet below.
The ISS orbits the planet at a height of about 250 miles (402km), circling Earth at speeds of about 17,000mph.
From this unique vantage point, NASA’s astronauts armed with an array of cameras take some of the most beautiful pictures of Earth.
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NASA’s Johnson Space Center shared a few of these photos, revealing the natural beauty of our home planet.
The first photo features the island of Cuba in the warm waters of the Caribbean.
You can see the curved edge of the planet surrounded by a thin, glowing outline of blue light – Earth’s atmosphere.
Beyond our planet is nothing but the pitch-black darkness of space.
NASA said: “The island nation of Cuba is pictured in the rich blue waters between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean as the International Space Station orbited 255 miles above.”
NASA’s next photo shows the Baja California or the Californian Peninsula just south of the US border with Mexico.
Baja California, with the Sun’s glint beaming off the Gulf of California
NASA
The peninsula is shrouded behind a thick cover of wispy cloud tops.
You can also make out the waters of the Pacific Ocean on one side of the peninsula and the waters of the Gulf of California on the other.
NASA said: “Baja California, with the Sun’s glint beaming off the Gulf of California, is pictured as the International Space Station orbited 256 miles above the Pacific Ocean southwest of Tijuana, Mexico.”
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In the next photo, one of NASA’s astronauts photographed the colourful island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia.
The island is surrounded by puffy, white cloud tops and the waters of the South Pacific Ocean.
NASA said: “The French Polynesian island of Bora Bora, surrounded by the Bora Main Motu Reef, is pictured as the International Space Station orbited 257 miles above the South Pacific Ocean.”
The picturesque island sits just northwest of Tahiti and is home to a beautiful sandy lagoon and coral reefs.
NASA’s last picture is a sombre snapshot of the bushfires raging in Australia.
Even from the ISS, astronauts could see the smokestacks rising from the country.
NASA said: “Bush fires in Australia’s Northern Territory are pictured as the International Space Station orbited 258 miles above the Earth.”
On Tuesday, November 12, authorities in Australia confirmed the fires have reached the outskirts of Sydney.
You can read more about the current situation by clicking here: Australian fires rage towards NSW capital – latest maps
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