Astronaut Don Pettit took this photo from space in January 2025, as the Sun began to rise over a cloudy Pacific Ocean. This long-exposure image shows off the wide band of the Milky Way, our home galaxy, above the aurora and airglow that shine closer to Earth's horizon.

Podcast:
nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-h









Image Description
Stars fill this image taken from orbit, with Earth orbiting below. The bright center of the Milky Way stretches downward from top-center of this image, with other white stars scattered throughout. The bottom third of the image is filled by the dark-greenish Earth, somewhat out of focus, with white and purple bands covering its arcing horizon. Credit: NASA/Don Pettit
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