See the world from outer space ... in 60 seconds

Science educator James Drake assembled this time-lapse video of Earth at night from International Space Station imagery. Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. (Credit: Infinity Imagined)

This must-see video condenses the International Space Station's night flight over Earth into 60 seconds, courtesy of science educator James Drake. He downloaded a series of 600 pictures from the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth — a voluminous archive of a half-century's worth of imagery from the space station and NASA's manned spacecraft. Then he assembled them into the clip you see here using VirtualDub software.


The flight to the sunrise begins over the Pacific Ocean and zooms at an altitude of about 220 miles (350 kilometers) past Vancouver Island and Victoria, the Pacific Northwest and the American Southwest, Texas and Mexico, Central and South America. The highlights to watch for include constellations of city lights, lightning flashes in the clouds, the stars whirling in the night sky above, the faint brown-yellow atmospheric airglow that rims the eastern horizon, and the glorious dawn at the end.

For more of Drake's work, check out his Infinity Imagined website.

More amazing imagery from orbit:


Tip o' the Log to Fraser Cain at Universe Today.

Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding me to your Google+ circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds. 

Discuss this post

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Extremely cool. 

  • 6 votes
Reply#1 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:15 PM EDT

Extremely cool.

    Reply#2 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:16 PM EDT

    WOW! Just WOW!

    (So, look after it.)

    @lifemachine

    • 4 votes
    Reply#3 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:16 PM EDT

    Amazing view, but they should redo it with 5 or 10 times the # of pics. The jumpiness is distracting.

      Reply#4 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:33 PM EDT

      awesome

      • 2 votes
      Reply#5 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:42 PM EDT

      Utterly amazing, fragile and equally as strong as the tiniest microbe could or would possibly be at an apex of its unfoldment. The unique creation of the collective creation which endeavors to good in everything....

      • 2 votes
      Reply#6 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:59 PM EDT

      Keep these beautiful videos coming----I am awestruck.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#7 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:02 PM EDT

      Earth from space---please keep these beautiful videos coming---I am awestruck

      • 3 votes
      Reply#8 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:18 PM EDT

      Thank you for sharing something so incredible. This is simply beautiful and humbling. Thank you. :)

      • 1 vote
      Reply#9 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:42 PM EDT

      It is beautiful

      • 1 vote
      #9.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 1:50 AM EDT
      Reply

      Praise God for His goodness!!!

      • 1 vote
      Reply#10 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:45 PM EDT

      Beautiful Earth- we have a duty to keep it that way.

      • 3 votes
      Reply#11 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:00 PM EDT
      Comment author avatarSomething-4126110Expand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

      So fake,just like most of NASA.Paying tax for crap.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#12 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:39 PM EDT

      Yeah, crap like all this modern technology people take for granted. Go educate yourself: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/

      • 1 vote
      #12.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:04 AM EDT
      Reply

      Dazzling, just dazzling, how much did it cost?

        Reply#13 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:50 PM EDT

        Dunno, how much does a decent camera cost these days?

        • 1 vote
        #13.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:04 AM EDT

        Was it tied to a balloon?

          #13.2 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:32 PM EDT

          ..... it was on the ISS, did you read the article? If you're talking about launch costs to get said camera into orbit, I really don't feel like doing the math at the moment.

            #13.3 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:28 PM EDT

            Yeah, I was being sarcastic. In other words it cost more than a decent camera.

              #13.4 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:32 PM EDT
              Reply
              AmandeeDeleted

              spectacular! <3

              • 2 votes
              Reply#15 - Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:51 PM EDT

              It is awe-inspiring - I wish it went just a little slower, but I can play it again and again.

              P.S. "Something" - crawl back under your rock. And give away your PC or whatever you're using.

              • 1 vote
              Reply#16 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:21 AM EDT

              For the earth is the Lord's and all it contains

              • 1 vote
              Reply#17 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:27 AM EDT

              For those ignoramuses who don't think humans can affect the weather and cause global warming.  They should look at how thin the atmosphere is compared to the size of the earth.  The atmosphere can be clearly seen as a narrow band encircling the vast planet that is being overrun and choked with pollution by mankind.

              • 1 vote
              Reply#19 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:47 AM EDT

              75 miles thin

              • 2 votes
              #19.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:13 AM EDT
              Reply

              looks cool but also looks like a good anime

                Reply#20 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:50 AM EDT

                Be sure to set the resolution to HD

                • 2 votes
                Reply#21 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:58 AM EDT

                love it was realy good and love the music too who did the music and whats it called.

                • 1 vote
                #21.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:12 AM EDT

                I want this as a video wall-paper for my desktop O.O

                • 1 vote
                #21.2 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:06 AM EDT
                Reply

                MAGNIFICENT!

                Only a magnificent God can create something so magnificent...Praise God for His works!

                macliz1

                • 1 vote
                Reply#22 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:31 AM EDT

                What if I'd rather praise Buddha instead?

                • 1 vote
                #22.1 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:52 PM EDT
                Reply

                gone in 60 seconds

                  Reply#23 - Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:53 PM EDT

                  Did anyone notice at 55 seconds theres what appears to be a shooting star or craft in the background by the stars...it lasts for 1 or 2 seconds...pretty cool..does anyone know what that is for sure?

                    Reply#24 - Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:57 AM EDT

                    More than likely another satellite.

                      #24.1 - Tue Sep 20, 2011 11:30 AM EDT
                      Reply

                      Its so sad that there is so much anger and hatred on this beautiful planet that God created.

                      • 2 votes
                      Reply#25 - Tue Sep 20, 2011 6:46 AM EDT

                      I was a little disoriented at first, but I found my home state and hometown :)

                      • 1 vote
                      Reply#26 - Tue Sep 20, 2011 7:49 PM EDT

                      Wow.

                      Images and compilations like these need to be made available, and advertised, to the public. Sometimes a little perspective can help, and make you appreciate how very fragile life can be.

                        Reply#27 - Wed Sep 21, 2011 4:29 PM EDT
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