We’ve all seen sunsets, but most people never see a sunset like this one, with its last rays filtered through the solar panels of the International Space Station. ISS astronauts, of course, see sunsets like this regularly — several times a day, in fact.
ISS commander Scott Kelly posted this image on his Twitter account yesterday evening, on Day 204 of his year in space.
Day 204. #GoodNight sunset through our solar array. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/ZHKAujVqnA
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 17, 2015
Here on Earth, we see a sunset once every 24 hours — every 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds, to be precise — when the planet rotates so that our area of the surface is turned away from the Sun. Because ISS is orbiting Earth at about 5 miles per second, Kelly and his crewmates see a new sunrise and sunset every 92 minutes.
Showy strokes of #sunrise to start your #Sunday! Good morning from @space_station! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/mcWt7V6r48
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) October 18, 2015
That means that Kelly, who set a new record on Friday as the American astronaut who has spent the most time in space, will see about as many sunrises and sunsets during his year-long ISS mission as most of us see in 16 years.
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