The lucky few astronauts who have spent time at the International Space Station have glimpsed Earth from a vantage the rest of us will never experience.
Orbiting about 250 miles high, spacefarers hailing from the United States, to Russia to Europe have witnessed spectacular phenomenon on or near Earth – including of both the cosmic and terrestrial variety.
From sights like dazzling auroras in the atmosphere to human-made fireworks closer to the ground, here's a look at some recent photos astronauts on the ISS have taken of Earth.
See photos of Earth from the ISS
What is the International Space Station?
The International Space Station has been stationed in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high, where it has been home to astronauts
from all over the world. Throughout its lifespan, the station has served as a test bed for scientific research in microgravity and has in years past opened itself up to private commercial missions.
The orbital laboratory is operated through a global partnership of space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station, including 174 from the United States alone, according to NASA. While aboard the ISS, astronauts from all over the world not only help keep the aging station operational, but prepare for humans to venture deeper into space.
What astronauts are on the International Space Station?
Seven astronauts are living and working at the International Space Station.
The most recent arrivals at the beginning of October included NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. The astronauts are members of a mission known as Crew-13, which launched for the space station in a SpaceX Dragon capsule perched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon arrived in mid-July at the space station with Russians Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina on a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft for an eight-month mission.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Astronauts on ISS have captured incredible photos Earth. Here's a look
