Astronauts on the space station see vibrant desert patterns, roiling storms, and volcanic eruptions. These are the best photos ever taken from the ISS.
The International Space Station (ISS) celebrates its 21st birthday this week. The station's first module launched into orbit on November 20, 1998.
The first crew of astronauts arrived on November 2, 2000. They started snapping photos soon after.
Astronauts have been capturing their breathtaking views from space ever since. They've taken millions of photos.
Source: NASA
Usually six people live and work together in the station, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes.
Source: NASA
That means they see 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.
Source: NASA
Today, the ISS orbits about 250 miles above Earth.
The astronauts inside don't always know or share much detail about the sights they see. But many say they never get bored with the views.
"I'm not sure I'd want to be in the same room with someone who could get tired of that," astronaut Kathy Sullivan told National Geographic.
Source: National Geographic
Some of the most colorful photos come from astronaut Scott Kelly, who shared his favorite views on social media.
From 2015 to 2016, Kelly spent 340 consecutive days on the space station. It was the longest single human spaceflight ever.
Source: NASA
When they fly over cloud-free cities, astronauts can see details that seem tiny from above.
On cloudless nights, some views are even more clear. They call Paris "the city of lights" for a reason.
Sometimes the clouds themselves make beautiful shapes. Astronauts can watch big storms from above.
They can even peer into the eyes of hurricanes.
When the Caribbean isn't plagued by cyclones, the Bahamas are a calm blue oasis from the astronaut's perspective.
This frozen lake in the Himalayas reveals a different kind of blue oasis.
The views aren't always so calming. Volcano eruptions are easy to see from space.
"Not many artists in this world are as creative as Mother Nature," ISS commander Alexander Gerst told NASA about this image.
Source: NASA
The aurora borealis is one of nature's most fascinating artworks. It appears when electrically charged particles from the sun collide with oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere.
Source: NASA
ISS residents can see the same phenomenon on the other side of the globe — the aurora australis.
Human activities can seem artistic from above, too — like this launch of a Russian spacecraft.
Few people have enjoyed these views: 239 people from 19 countries have visited the ISS.
Source: NASA
Astronauts have conducted 223 spacewalks since the station opened.
Source: NASA
Sometimes that's when they get the best vistas.
Behind them: the vacuum of space.
But even that void sometimes offers beautiful views.
"Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is," Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, said in 1961. "Let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it."
Source: UNESCO
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