City Lights and Atmospheric Glow
- JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui captured a stunning photo of southern Europe and the northwestern Mediterranean coast from the International Space Station on August 30, 2025.
- The photo shows the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy, with metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin shining brightly alongside their surrounding suburbs.
- Crew members aboard the ISS have produced hundreds of thousands of images of Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere through Crew Earth Observations.
- These photographs allow scientists to monitor changes on Earth over time due to human activity and natural events, such as disasters and climate phenomena.
- The images also help study urban wildlife and other environmental phenomena, enabling scientists to respond more effectively to emergencies and make informed decisions about the planet’s future.
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui captured this photo of southern Europe and the northwestern Mediterranean coast from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above Earth on Aug. 30, 2025. At left, the Po Valley urban corridor in Italy shines with the metropolitan areas of Milan and Turin and their surrounding suburbs.
Crew members aboard the orbital lab have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study a number of phenomena, from the movement of glaciers to urban wildlife.
Image credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui