Image: Astronaut captures photo of Earth from the International Space Station

Earth’s city lights streak by in this long-exposure photo taken by NASA astronaut Don Pettit on Oct. 24, 2024. The green glow of Earth’s atmosphere is also visible on the horizon.

Since the station became operational in November 2000, crew members have produced hundreds of thousands of images like this one through Crew Earth Observations.

Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events, allowing scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study phenomena.