A striking new photo of the International Space Station (ISS) taken during the day has impressed social media users worldwide. The image, shared on Reddit by user @Correct_Presence_936, shows the ISS clearly against the sky — a remarkable feat given how fast the station moves.
The ISS travels at an incredible speed of about 28,000 km/h (17,500 mph) in low Earth orbit, making it very difficult to capture on camera. According to BBC Sky at Night Magazine, this speed is the main challenge for photographers trying to shoot the station.
Reddit users were amazed by the photo’s clarity, with one saying, “Blows my mind that people can just do this as a hobby. Awesome shot.” Another added, “Getting a photo this clear of something so far and so FAST with HAND TRACKING is just incredible.“
Many comments highlighted the difficulty of manually tracking the ISS. One person wrote, “Swinging a telescope around by hand to track this thing across the sky, it does not feel like it’s hanging there at all. It’s absolutely mind blowing how something so huge can be positively hauling.“
Others explained why the ISS stays in orbit. Although it constantly falls towards Earth due to gravity, its high speed means it keeps missing the planet, allowing it to stay in constant orbit.
The ISS completes about 16 orbits around Earth every day, experiencing as many sunrises and sunsets. Inside, the space station is spacious, with areas comparable to a six-bedroom house. NASA reports it includes six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a large 360-degree bay window.
This photo has sparked new appreciation for the incredible engineering and physics that keep the ISS circling our planet so fast and so steadily.
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