Departing ISS astronaut still finds time for stunning night shot

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick is preparing to alert location aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule astatine nan extremity of nan seven-month Crew-8 mission, but he precocious recovered clip to threat an unthinkable nighttime changeable featuring nan Nile River, nan Nile Delta, Cairo, and beyond.

“Moonlight illuminates Cairo and nan Mediterranean connected a mostly clear night,” Dominick wrote successful a connection accompanying nan photograph that was shared connected X (formerly Twitter) connected Sunday.

“We were up precocious past nighttime slumber shifting successful mentation for undocking and return to Earth successful nan adjacent fewer days,” Dominick continued. “Cairo astatine nighttime is 1 of my favourite views. I americium happy nan timing worked retired to spot it 1 much clip earlier we depart.”

Moonlight illuminates Cairo and nan Mediterranean connected a mostly clear night.

We were up precocious past nighttime slumber shifting successful mentation for undocking and return to Earth successful nan adjacent fewer days. Cairo astatine nighttime is 1 of my favourite views. I americium happy nan timing worked retired to spot it one… pic.twitter.com/zLmVozPvfL

— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 20, 2024

Captured from 250 miles supra Earth, Dominick utilized a 50mm lens group astatine f1.2, 1/10 second, and ISO 3200. He doesn’t specify nan camera assemblage but going by his earlier work, it’s apt to person been a Nikon Z9.

Dominick, connected his first missions to space, has been wowing fans pinch some unthinkable imagery taken during his 7 months aboard nan orbital outpost. But this latest changeable must beryllium 1 of his finest nighttime images yet.

The American astronaut is making last preparations pinch 3 different astronauts for nan return travel to Earth. The voyage has already been delayed owed to mediocre upwind conditions successful nan splashdown area disconnected nan seashore of Florida.

NASA said connected Sunday that location had been “a marginal betterment successful forecast upwind conditions successful imaginable splashdown sites disconnected nan seashore of Florida for nan return of nan Crew-8 mission,” adding that Crew-8 is presently targeting undocking from nan ISS nary earlier than 9:05 p.m. ET connected Monday, October 21. It added that nan earliest splashdown opportunity for nan Crew Dragon spacecraft is astir 12:55 p.m. ET connected Tuesday, October 22.