2 weeks ago
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Astronaut and photographer Don Pettit has recreated his famous Lightning Bugs photo from 2012 during his most recent mission to space.
Pettit currently resides onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and a few days ago shared an amazing image that is similar to one he took on Expedition 30, a long-duration ISS mission, in 2012.
Lightning Bugs taken in 2012 by Don Pettit.Star trail time exposure. Our orbit creates star trails during a time exposure, in this case, about 30 minutes during orbital night. This was assembled from multiple 30 second exposures by @BabakTafreshi. Big thanks to Babak for applying his processing skills with image… pic.twitter.com/4SQrFshmgh
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) February 8, 2025
Taking to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, he explains the image is a long exposure that creates star trails.
“Our orbit creates star trails during a time exposure, in this case, about 30 minutes during orbital night,” he explains. “This was assembled from multiple 30-second exposures by @BabakTafreshi. Big thanks to Babak for applying his processing skills with image processing capability we do not have on orbit.”
Cropped section from my star trail showing how atmospheric refraction bends the star trails as they move towards the limb of the horizon. Also a pretty heavy bit of lightning as sequential flashes. pic.twitter.com/FIlvQCxAg4
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) February 8, 2025
Babak Tafreshi, the editor Pettit acknowledges, is a National Geographic photographer who focuses on capturing celestial objects. In an Instagram video, Tafreshi compares capturing star trails from Earth and space.
“These animated timelapse sequences show something in common: long exposure images reveal moving stars as trails. But the source of motion is totally different on each,” Tafreshi explains. “On the ground, the Earth’s rotation is the source. When the camera is pointed north toward Polaris (or south, in the southern hemisphere) circular trails appear around celestial poles which show the Earth’s axis of rotation.”
“In the orbit, the source of star trails is the space station motion, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes with approximately 16 sunrises and sunsets every day,” Tafreshi continues. “When Don Pettit points the camera towards the pitch axis of ISS (and not towards Polaris), circular star trails are formed above the Earth limb, and below are streaking city lights (again due to orbital motion), lightning flashes, aurora, and atmospheric airglow.”
Tafreshi and Pettit are currently collaborating on a project together called Above & Under where the pair share perspectives of Earth while being separated by 400 kilometers (250 miles) of air and outer space.
Image credits: NASA/Don Pettit
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