Experience Earth from Space: A Stunning 4K Video

Experience Earth from Space: A Stunning 4K Video

Witnessing Earth from the vantage point of space reveals its breathtaking beauty, vibrant colors, and the delicate nature of the planet situated 400 kilometers below. A new 4K video, captured during Expedition 65 aboard the International Space Station (ISS), offers viewers a chance to appreciate our home planet in all its glory. The ISS, a laboratory orbiting at approximately 400 kilometers and traveling at a speed of 27,000 kilometers per hour, provides a unique perspective that often reminds us of the need to cherish and protect our planet. The footage was recorded between April 17, 2021, and October 17, 2021. Here’s a glimpse of Earth: enjoy the view!

Some Facts About Our Planet

With a radius of 6,371 kilometers, Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets and the fifth largest overall in our solar system. It is located at an astronomical unit of exactly 150 million kilometers from the Sun, a distance that defines this unit. Light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach our planet, traveling at approximately 300,000 kilometers per second. Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago as gravity pulled together gas and dust during the solar system's stabilization into its current configuration. Like other terrestrial planets, Earth consists of a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.

As Earth orbits the Sun, it completes a rotation on its axis every 23.9 hours. A full revolution around the Sun takes about 365.25 days, with the extra four hours accounted for every four years by adding an additional day, resulting in a leap year. The tilt of Earth’s rotational axis at 23.4 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the Sun causes the annual cycle of seasons.

Learn more:

• Read NASA's dedicated page about Earth.