Astronaut Captures Milky Way, Starlink Satellites and False Dawn in One Photo

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A curved view of Earth from space with a blurred, glowing horizon. The background is filled with numerous stars and a visible section of the Milky Way galaxy, creating a luminous, celestial scene.

Astronaut Don Pettit has captured an image so good that it is a contender for the best photo ever taken onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Pettit, who currently resides on the ISS, shared his remarkable creation last night on X (formerly Twitter). It shows the Earth streaking by entombed in a reddish, orange glow, with the vast beyond of space filling the rest of the frame.

“One photo with: Milkyway, zodiacal light, satellites as streaks, stars as pinpoints, atmosphere on edge showing OH emission as burned umber (my favorite Crayon color), soon to rise sun, and cities at night as streaks,” Pettit writes on the post. Zodiacal light is a faint, white glow caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles in the solar system. It’s also known as false dawn.

Pettit explains that he took the image two days prior (Saturday, Jan 11) from the Dragon Crew 9 vehicle port window. The Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed, manufactured, and operated by SpaceX that flies to the ISS.

A stunning view from space shows a blurred Earth in the foreground with city lights streaking by, as a vibrant sunrise emerges on the horizon. The background features a starry sky with a faint view of the Milky Way galaxy.

Astrophotographer and friend of PetaPixel Andrew McCarthy comments that Pettit’s image “might be the best photo ever taken from the ISS.”

Pettit is no stranger to capturing extraordinary pictures from 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, his 2012 photo Lightning Bugs is still one of the most famous images taken onboard the ISS.

One photo with: Milkyway, Zodical light, @Starlink satellites as streaks, stars as pin points, atmosphere on edge showing OH emission as burned umber (my favorite Crayon color), soon to rise sun, and cities at night as streaks. Taken two days ago from Dragon Crew 9 vehicle port… pic.twitter.com/iCIXwgw9JB

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 13, 2025

At 69 years old, Pettit is currently NASA’s oldest-serving astronaut and second oldest to ever visit space. Since blasting off into orbit for the fourth time in September, the veteran has captured numerous wonderous photos including on January 2 when he captured the aurora lights illuminating the night sky against a silhouette of the ISS.

Flying over aurora; intensely green. pic.twitter.com/leUufKFnBB

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 6, 2025

Pettit has been shooting photos since he was a boy, starting with a Kodak Brownie camera, with which he shot and developed black-and-white film himself.

“I was already an expert in photography when I got selected as an astronaut,” he told PetaPixel in 2023. “I just kept moving up and up and dumping as much money as I had into photographic equipment as probably all the people who follow PetaPixel do.”

Image credits: NASA/Don Pettit

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