Seeing Earth from space never gets old. NASA astronaut Xena Cardman recently shared a stunning time-lapse video that appears to capture the planet in all its glory. The clip was filmed during SpaceX’s CRS-33 mission, compressing hours of orbital motion into a few magical seconds.
Thunderstorms flash, sunsets sparkle, stars twinkle, and the moon twinkles in a way that seems almost surreal.Zena Cardman doesn’t just shoot beautiful scenes. She’s a geologist. Her work focuses on life in extreme environments, such as deep-sea vents and Antarctic ice. This background seems to have shaped her approach to space research. She joined NASA in 2017 and contributed to Expeditions 73 and 74.
A NASA astronaut captures Earth like never before at 60x time-lapse in a viral video
Time lapse compresses station movements at 60 times the actual speed.
Seemingly ordinary maneuvers can appear extraordinary when viewed from above. @Space_Station rarely makes big changes in direction, Cardman explained, but this mission involved a slow rollover, first accelerating, then returning to the correct position again.Experts say that this type of footage gives scientists a way to study the Earth in ways that ordinary cameras cannot capture. Thunderstorms, airglow, sunrises, and sunsets, all captured in one sweep.
Even the moon’s reflection dances across the ocean. You can almost feel the planet’s rotation, axis tilt, and amplitude.
Viral space footage captures Earth’s rotation in stunning detail
Cardman said the footage is one of her favorites. It is said to show the station turning in what it called a “cartwheel” from the Atlantic to the Pacific. People watching online were astonished, noting how small and fragile the Earth looked from above. Her fascination with life in extreme conditions seems to make her appreciate these tropical landscapes uniquely.
The time-lapse clip has gone viral, as it shows all the rare elements, including storms, sunshine, stars and moonlight, in one seamless shot. Cardman told his followers that he captured “a little bit of everything,” and that’s exactly what happened.Observers say it’s also a reminder of how small we are. From above, national borders disappear. Oceans and continents flow smoothly into each other. It’s almost a meditative moment, a moment to stop and think about the fragility of the Earth. Kids, adults, and space enthusiasts all stop to watch, pointing out their favorite parts, and sharing screenshots.
