ISS Shares Stunning Night Photos; Glowing India Steals the Spotlight

Far above Earth, the International Space Station (ISS) quietly circles the planet every 90 minutes. It feels like a front-row seat to the universe. Orbiting at about 370 to 460 kilometers high, this amazing piece of engineering is more than just a place for astronauts and science—it’s also a window to stunning views of Earth and space.

From glowing auroras to twinkling city lights at night, the ISS often shares its view through photos on social media, showing us how beautiful Earth looks from space. These pictures are more than just images; they take us on a journey through space, past the shining Milky Way, where Earth’s curved horizon and bright continents look like stars in the sky.

Recently, the ISS shared a new set of night photos from space, and once again, the view of the cosmos was breathtaking.

The International Space Station recently posted a stunning set of night photos on X (formerly Twitter), offering an incredible view of different parts of Earth from space. One photo, showing a glowing India beneath a star-filled sky, has especially caught the attention of viewers online.

In the caption, the ISS wrote: “When you can see the stars above, city lights below, and a soft glow wrapping around Earth’s horizon.” Photo 1: Midwest United States, Photo 2: India, Photo 3: Southeast Asia, Photo 4: Canada.

Each photo highlights a different part of the world, but the image of India truly stands out. Bright clusters of city lights spread across the subcontinent, revealing the country's dense population in stunning detail. The northern plains, coastlines, and major metro areas shine the brightest, while softer lights fill the spaces in between, creating a glowing map made entirely of light.

The photos quickly went viral online, drawing many reactions from users. One person commented, “Simply stunning. We live on one amazing rock!” Another remarked, “We spread out like spider webs,” reflecting on how human activity lights up the planet when seen from space.

Other images in the series featured the cloud-swirled skies over the Midwest United States, a serene view of Southeast Asia showcasing its blend of land and water, and a stunning nighttime shot of Canada illuminated by city lights and crowned with a brilliant green aurora stretching across the horizon.

These photographs from the ISS reveal that Earth, bathed in the beauty of nighttime, is truly a breathtaking sight.