"Star Light, Star Bright" | International Space Station

"Star Light, Star Bright" | International Space Station

Former Expedition 74 flight engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kim Yui captured this view of the sun beginning to set above Earth's atmospheric glow (airglow) blanketing a cloudy Atlantic Ocean. The International Space Station was orbiting 260 miles above the Earth off the coast of Florida when this photograph was taken. In the foreground, are a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft (lower left) and a set of the orbital outpost's solar arrays (right). 

You will notice green and yellow airglow in this image. Airglow occurs when atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, excited by sunlight, emit light to shed their excess energy. Or, it can happen when atoms and molecules that have been ionized by sunlight collide with and capture a free electron. In both cases, they eject a particle of light—called a photon—in order to relax again. The phenomenon is similar to auroras, but where auroras are driven by high-energy particles originating from the solar wind, airglow is energized by ordinary, day-to-day solar radiation.

The nursery rhyme "Star Light, Star Bright" is a traditional English-language nursery rhyme of American origin, with documented beginnings tracing back to the mid to late 19th century. It is rooted in the superstition that wishing upon the first star seen at night can lead to a true wish being granted. The rhyme has been recorded in various works since at least 1866 and has spread worldwide, becoming a beloved part of childhood tradition.

"Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight."

Follow Expedition 74:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui
Image Date: Jan. 6, 2026

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