Galaxies in Space
The plane of our Milky Way
galaxy extends beyond
the limb of planet Earth in this
space age exposure
captured by astronaut Don Pettit.
His camera,
with low light and
long duration settings, was pointed
out the window
of a Dragon crew spacecraft docked with the International Space Station
on January 29.
The orbital outpost was at an altitude of about 400 kilometers above
the Pacific Ocean at the time.
Motion blurs the Earth below, while
the gorgeous view from low Earth orbit
includes the Milky Way's prominent satellite
galaxies, known as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds,
near the upper left in the frame.
Fans of southern skies
can also spot the Southern Cross.
The four brightest stars
of the famous southern constellation Crux
are near picture center, just beyond the edge of the bright horizon and
shining through Earth's orange tinted atmospheric glow.