Night Lights: Natural & Human | International Space Station
The densely urbanized region surrounding the Bohai Sea (center) on China's east coast includes several major metropolitan areas, from Beijing (left center) to Changchun (top right), and Seoul, South Korea (far right). A yellow-green airglow blankets Earth's horizon in this image captured from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above the surface at approximately 11:06 p.m. local time.
The Korean Peninsula—highlighted by Seoul, South Korea (bottom left)—and Northeast China—illuminated by the Beijing Municipality (top left)—are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above Asia at approximately 12:42 a.m. local time.
Warm, diffuse city lights and bright lightning storms illuminate the cloudy nighttime landscape of western Africa in this image captured from the International Space Station. A soft yellow-green atmospheric glow, created by atoms and molecules releasing energy absorbed from solar radiation earlier in the day, blankets Earth’s horizon. The orbital outpost was soaring 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 11:05 p.m. local time when this photograph was taken.
This moonlit, violet-hued view of the International Space Station’s main solar arrays, partially overlapped by a smaller set of roll-out solar arrays, was captured at approximately 5:16 a.m. local time. The orbital outpost was soaring 265 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just north of New Zealand, when this photograph was taken.
This serene, nighttime view from the International Space Station, captured from an altitude of 262 miles above the Coral Sea, reveals a star-filled sky with a soft, multi-colored atmospheric glow blanketing the city lights of the Solomon Islands. The image was taken at approximately 3:11 a.m. local time as the station orbited above the southwestern Pacific region.
A red-yellow airglow blankets Earth's horizon as the city lights of southwestern Europe and North Africa sparkle in contrast to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea that separates the two continents. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles above the Atlantic at approximately 7:47 p.m. local time when this photograph was taken.
A yellow-red airglow blankets Earth's horizon as village lights dot the Saharan landscape of Algeria in this photograph taken at approximately 8:50 p.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above north Africa.
A wispy aurora caps Earth's horizon as an orbital sunrise begins illuminating the atmosphere in this photograph taken at approximately 2:19 a.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above the Mongolia-China border region.
Follow Expedition 74:
Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Mike Fincke (NASA)
JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Oleg Platonov, Sergey-Kud Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev
NASA Flight Engineers: Zena Cardman, 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: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)
Image Dates: Sept. 6-Nov. 28, 2025
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