The space station completes one orbit in about 90 minutes.
The International Space Station (ISS) often shares magnificent pictures of outer space. The official Instagram handle of ISS is a treasure trove for those who love to watch educational videos and fascinating images showcasing Earth and space. In its latest post, the space station which hovers about 400 kilometres above the surface of Earth, shared a set of stunning visuals of city lights in the night from around the world. The images feature Santiago, Mexico City, New Delhi and Shanghai.
''City lights from around the world seen from the station reveal an array of grid-like patterns, webs of roadways, and an assortment of colours highlighting differing cultures,'' the post was captioned on Instagram.
See the pictures here:
Since being shared 14 hours ago, the photo has garnered more than 51,000 likes and many comments. Internet users were left mesmerised to see the images and thanked ISS for the visual treat. Indian users also loved the picture and thanked the space station for such a beautiful capture of the capital city and posted love and heart emojis. One user wrote, ''My Delhi looks so beautiful.''
Another commented, ''It's gorgeous.'' A third said, ''Delhi looks so beautiful, you should just correct the orientation and turn clockwise 90 degrees.''
A fourth wrote, ''More of this please.'' A fifth added, ''Shanghai looks too organised, Delhi is what Delhi looks like, Yamuna perfectly helps to find orientation. Airport, CP and Pusa Institute are perfectly recognisable.''
A sixth said, ''Btw even in a million other pictures, Delhi is always beautiful.''
The ISS has served as a centre for space research and technological advances, serving as humans' only permanent residence outside of Earth. The space station completes one orbit in about 90 minutes.
Launched in 1998 by the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and members of the European Space Agency (ESA), the ISS is the size of a football field and weighs about the same as a jam-packed Boeing 747. Five space agencies representing 15 countries operate the ISS.