The view of Earth from the International Space Station is spectacular. For some time, I’ve considered embedding a live feed from a video camera attached to the ISS. When the camera was recently upgraded to HD, the sharper images convinced me that now was the time. A 24-7 view of our home planet from 268 miles up (431 km) is to some space geeks what kitty videos are to “normal” people. Addictive and mesmerizing.
Traveling at 17,000 miles an hour, the ISS encounters a sunset or sunrise every 45 minutes. Of course, they’re beautiful, but even more stunning IMHO are the views of the planet gliding by in full light far below. And at night, if you tune in at the right time, you can see cities around the world marked by their glowing lights.
Enjoy the live feed below. If you want to learn more about the ISS, check out this NASA website devoted to the orbiting science laboratory.
Mapping data is set for Phoenix, Arizona. You can change the settings to your own location and see out more great features offered by the satellite tracking site, n2yo, here. (Donations are encouraged.)
Second, non-HD, live stream from the International Space Station (below).
