Flying Over the Earth at Night - Time-lapse footage of the Earth as seen from the ISS

Many wonders are visible when flying over the Earth at night. A compilation of such visual spectacles was captured recently from the International Space Station (ISS) and set to rousing music. Passing below are white clouds, orange city lights, lightning flashes in thunderstorms, and dark blue seas. On the horizon is the golden haze of Earth's thin atmosphere, frequently decorated by dancing auroras as the video progresses. 

The green parts of auroras typically remain below the space station, but the station flies right through the red and purple auroral peaks. Solar panels of the ISS are seen around the frame edges. The ominous wave of approaching brightness at the end of each sequence is just the dawn of the sunlit half of Earth, a dawn that occurs every 90 minutes.

Watch this amazing video:

Video Credit: Gateway to Astronaut Photography, NASA ; Compilation: Bitmeizer (YouTube); 
Music: Freedom Fighters (Two Steps from Hell)

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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

YouTube

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Amateur Astronomer finds a New Solar System

Yahoo News 1 Dec

While everyone looks up to NASA for space discoveries through its powerful telescopes, like Hubble, an amateur in New Zealand has beaten NASA by discovering a new solar system with his own gadgets. The photographs are both mesmerizing and look like NASA's finds.

Beta Pictoris: The new solar system found by Rolf Olsen (Photo Courtesy of Rolf Olsen/Tecca) 

This photograph above, shot by Rolf Olsen of New Zealand, may appear rather unremarkable at first glance, but it's quickly becoming one of the most popular space pictures of the year. The image shows a new solar system named Beta Pictoris in its very first stages of life. 

Olsen's achievement marks the first time that an amateur astronomer has captured a solar system being born, and it's a feat that even professional stargazers have a difficult time capturing. 

Read full story for more on the new find at Yahoo News

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NASA's Mars Mission ready for Saturday Lift-off

Full Story: Mashable 22 Nov

NASA’s $2.5 billion Mars rover dubbed “Curiosity” is set to liftoff on Saturday. 

NASA's Curiosity projected on Mars (Animation) 

The lift off will be start of a 350+ million mile journey to learn about the possibility of life on the red planet — either in the past or in the future. Check out the video above to learn more about the mission.

Watch video report

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