2 August, 2026 | 3:47 AM
Stellar spectacle
02-08-2026 12:00:00 AM
The Milky Way stretches across the darkness of space above Earth’s curved, glowing horizon in a striking photograph captured by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station. The image shows the bright arc of our home galaxy, sparkling city lights on Earth and a thin green band of atmospheric airglow. Taken during Expedition 72, it is among Pettit’s favourites from nearly 1.2 million raw photos he captured during his latest mission. The astronaut spent 220 days aboard the orbiting lab, conducting scientific experiments, tech demonstrations and Earth observations before returning in April 2025.
