Since November, the European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquit has photographed Earth from the International Space Station.
Every day he sends incredible shots in which the lights of cities and nature glitter. Here are some of the best pictures taken last week.
The first photo is Paris, which appeared below the ISS, located between two Union spacecraft used to transport astronauts to the orbital station and back. Pesquit - the 10th French astronaut who has been in space. This is his first flight. Prior to that, he had done some extreme research on the planet during the training of astronauts. Including visited the network of caves in Sardinia, Italy and under water as part of the NEEMO mission (NASA in extreme conditions of operation).
Pesquit speaks several languages (English, French and Russian). Most of his tweets are duplicated in the first two.
Strange earth features
Not only we admire images. They are also used by scientists to get a better view of the planet. Over the years, similar data has been used to track climate change, monitor natural disasters, and even shoot launches.
A NASA press release from last year indicates that astronauts helped track climate change. When Apollo 8 sent pictures of a fragile blue ball in 1968, it was before the first Earth Day (1970). With the help of astronauts and satellites, scientists manage to notice the drying up of lakes and the expansion of deserts.
Eye of the Dragon
This incredible frame of Hawaii Mauna Loa shows stripes on the slopes of lava and snow. Sometimes astronauts can capture the eruption or the period preceding the event. Then scientists make the right prediction to help people. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst was actually a volcanologist, and this is a rather rare specialty even among astronauts.
Another European astronaut Tim Pieke saw a volcano in action while he was in orbit last year. He recorded streams of ash coming from a volcano, which, he believed, was located in eastern Russia. As it turned out, it was Klyuchevaya Sopka volcano - the highest active volcano in the world.
Snow peaks
Pesquit decided to stand up for the environment and showed a magnificent glacier, signing: “There is so much snow, like cream. Let's solve the climate problem and provide balance in nature. ” ESA and NASA monitor climate change with satellites that track many different factors (precipitation, wind and solar radiation).
It's funny, but research from other planets can also help us better understand our situation. The most famous example is Venus, where the greenhouse effect has accumulated under the clouds, heating the surface. There are no such extreme conditions on Earth yet, but it is better to know about the possible consequences.
Great Barrier Reef
As a shining ocean spine, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia shows off its aquamarine hues. “This is another jewel we must protect,” he says. At the end of 2016, NASA actually conducted its reef research as part of the CORAL program. While there remains a tourist incentive about the reef worry. But there are concerns about the health of the environment in other facilities. NASA notes that coral reefs around the world are degrading due to human activity, as well as the transformation of the climate as a whole. Now scientists are urgently combining data to prevent a catastrophe.
Runway of the Bahamas
Peskwit managed to get interesting details of a small island in the Bahamas, namely, to remove a private runway. “Not bad,” he wrote. “It was possible to notice thanks to a 1150 mm lens.” He also reveals the tools that make it possible to take such clear pictures.
Astronauts use the installation, which has a window at 360 degrees with access to the planet. It helps them to take stunning shots, as well as relax or simply enjoy the view.
