Orion above the atmosphere, captured on my first mission to the International Space Station. More details in comments!

[u/astro_pettit]

[u/astro_pettit]

Orion photo taken during Expedition-6 to the ISS in early 2003. I took this before we had low noise, nighttime-sensitive digital cameras for orbital astrophotography. Technology has come a long way, but older photos from the station can still show great detail. Stars are visible from station under the right conditions, primarily being orbital night, when the Earth is between ISS and the sun. This photo was taken with a Nikon F5, 58mm noct-Nikkor f1.2 lens with Fujichrome ISO 800 film.

More orbital astrophotography can be found on my twitter and Instagram profiles.

[u/Username912773 → u/astro_pettit]

That’s incredible. What’s it like to photograph things from space?

[u/astro_pettit → u/Username912773]

Unique. Orbital astrophotography involves many nuances that ground-based photography does not, such as accounting for station attitude adjustment, orbital motion, and of course being in a microgravity environment. It makes it very complicated and at times inconvenient, but I recognized the need to develop this field.

[u/theillini19 → u/astro_pettit]

station attitude adjustment

Didn't realize we had to take into account how the station was feeling that day 😉

In all seriousness, breathtaking photo-- I'm glad there are astronauts like you with a passion for orbital astrophotography!

[u/throwitawaynownow1 → u/theillini19]

Didn't realize we had to take into account how the station was feeling that day

"Open the camera shutter, please, HAL..."

[u/drewcifier32 → u/throwitawaynownow1]

I don't think I can do that, Dave.

[u/[deleted] → u/throwitawaynownow1]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/Apprehensive_Lassie → u/theillini19]

That sounds like out of a science fiction or a new hobby only for the 1%

Orbital Astrophotography

What a dream!

[u/TheRavenSayeth → u/astro_pettit]

The station was angry that day, my friends - like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

[u/LeviSalt → u/TheRavenSayeth]

Is anyone here an astrophotographer??

OP walks begrudgingly into space

[u/WEEDsuggest → u/astro_pettit]

Absolutely fascinating!

[u/whoamIreallym8 → u/astro_pettit]

It's an amazing photo! How long were your exposures and how many did you take?

I use a German equitorial mount for one of my telescopes for tracking I assume the tracking mount for your camera is substantially more complicated but could you explain how it works?

[u/OccamsPhasers → u/astro_pettit]

How do you account for multilayered glass?

[u/Zyad300 → u/OccamsPhasers]

Like trying to taking a picture through an airplane window aaaaaaaaaa

[u/MSTRMN_ → u/astro_pettit]

I assume, aiming through relatively small windows is harder as well, unless photos are taken from the cupola?

[u/[deleted] → u/astro_pettit]

Beautiful view up there! Thanks for posting this, I’ve always enjoyed your posts and photography.

[u/astro_pettit → u/[deleted]]

Thanks, I hope to share more

[u/pfc9769 → u/astro_pettit]

It looks like you even caught the nebula. There’s a smudge in the right position. Were you able to see the Orion Nebula with your naked eyes alone? It’s supposed to be visible from Earth as long as it’s dark enough. It looks like your picture might’ve caught it. I’d love to know I’d you can see the Andromeda galaxy from the ISS as well.

[u/impreprex → u/pfc9769]

Great question about the nebula! I can see it a bit too.

[u/astro_pettit → u/pfc9769]

You can see Orion Neb w your bare eyes from space

[u/invent_or_die → u/astro_pettit]

Thank you!

[u/An-Englishman-in-NY → u/astro_pettit]

Damn! How does it feel to accomplish something that is just a dream to so many people? Congratulations on your massive achievements!

[u/Xtrene387 → u/astro_pettit]

So are those stars only visible by camera or could you see with naked eye? I also wondered if stars can be seen while the ISS is over the day side of the planet

[u/Yadobler → u/Xtrene387]

You can see these stars with the naked eye on a clear night, even in a dense neighbourhood with lots of lights

The 3 horizontal dots in the centre, they are the belt of orion: * look to the top and you'll see the yellow star. That's betelgeuse * Extend the line to the left and you will see Sirius, the brightest Star in the night sky. * extend the line to the right and you'll see Aberdeen, part of taurus * look below and you'll see Rigel

https://i.imgur.com/gwBwqbh.jpg

This is one of the most prolific and first-to-catch-your-eye stars. The yellow star, the almost perfectly 3 stars in a line, the other white star on the opposite side, and the bright af star down to the side is hard to miss when you stare in the sky (and not fall over your back)

----------

The other 2 easy to see (and vital if you get stuck alone out at night) set of stars are:

• southern stars: look South to the horizon. You should see:
  

........*............*..*
..*.....................*
..................*
........... X

The left is a pair of stars and the right is the southern cross. They both point to around where the south Pole is (marked X). They will rotate across the sky, CCW, about the X.

• North star: just look for 3 stars in a line, one is significantly further from the other two. Over time, that one far star never moves in the sky but the other two will pivot CW. That's North star. Ye. You're supposed to find the dipper but screw it.

[u/coleyta → u/Xtrene387]

if i remember correctly, the stars are only visible from the night side of the planet.

[u/BaZing3 → u/astro_pettit]

Yeah, I get it, Reddit. Other people have way more interesting lives than mine. Calm down and just give me some memes, dammit.

For real, though. Hell yeah, OP. You the man.

[u/Flyingpegger → u/astro_pettit]

I've always wondered what the stars looked like in space. Seeing this with a camera from 20 years ago is amazing. No wonder people say it's life changing to see all of space painted with light from so long ago.

It almost saddens me because we can't see anything like that in most areas of the US. It truly does capture the fact earth is just a giant vessel for is to travel through the cosmos.

[u/ThatSlyB3 → u/Flyingpegger]

It saddens you that you have an atmosphere that keeps oxygen for you to breathe and pressure for your body to exist?

[u/-Moonscape- → u/ThatSlyB3]

Uhhh it’s that so much light pollution exists that its difficult to really take in the stars.

[u/Flyingpegger → u/ThatSlyB3]

Thats a pretty big assumption when the topic is stars in the sky. As someone else already stated, light pollution. You can't see stars like this in a majority of the US.

Also, my body would probably exist differently if the pressure on this planet was different. Same with how gravity affects us. Evolution has allowed us to be who we are and still would have even if the pressure and gravity were different but still existing.

Not being able to see stars in the sky is as sad as not seeing nature in LA or NYC. It causes a disconnect in some way.

[u/thulesgold → u/astro_pettit]

This is such a flex. "Oh hey everybody! This is like, my first mission to the I.S.S. I thought it was kinda neat to see a hunter on the horizon. But I don't know. Give me a like and a share if you like it! K thx bye!"

Astronauts are like the coolest kids around that everyone wants to be. We are all so jealous that they made it out of this gravity well and into orbit and got closer to seeing this tiny pale blue speck hurling through space and realizing how minute and precious we all are. Jealous, OMG!

Seriously, I'm envious as a mo'fug over here. Keep postin'!

[u/ConcentrateAway9080 → u/thulesgold]

"Orion lookin cute, might delete later idk"

[u/analog_primate → u/astro_pettit]

Ahhh! They would love this in /r/analog , such a cool shot! Did you ever have issues with fogging on your high ISO film out in space?

[u/astro_pettit → u/analog_primate]

We stopped flying film after the shuttle Columbia disaster due to long times between resupply vehicles and film fogging from cosmic rays

[u/SmallRedBird → u/astro_pettit]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but what sort of fun did you have with your fellow astronauts? Were there shenanigans of a good nature that didn't harm the mission or anyone?

[u/fusemybutt → u/astro_pettit]

Holy crap is this cool!

[u/Trumpologist → u/astro_pettit]

Once Betelgeuse goes super nova, do you think we will be able to see the Neutron star still shine

In way, the picture you've taken is a page for the history books. Ty SO MUCH

[u/ilostmyoldaccount → u/astro_pettit]

2003, Nikkor f1.2 lens

Technology has come a long way

Humble brag ;) Also great performance/weight ratio. Was this up to you in any way?

Thank you for sharing this great shot! Probably wasn't easy getting in position for it either, and knowing when and how to pull it off. The wait until development must have seemed like an eternity.

[u/Gortecz → u/astro_pettit]

Wtf you a real astronaut ?

[u/Dougdahead → u/Gortecz]

It appears so. How else would you get photos like this?

[u/moojo → u/Dougdahead]

Stole the pic from somewhere

[u/giceman715 → u/astro_pettit]

The star to the far left is called “ Tippy’s Kingdom “ I bought it for my fiancée as a gift. Because she is out of this world and I gravitated towards her heart.

[u/impreprex → u/giceman715]

The star-selling business is rife with snake oil salesmen. It's hard to find a reputable dealer these days!

But seriously, those star-selling businesses are scams, unfortunately.

Unless you were just joking.

[u/ThatSlyB3 → u/giceman715]

Are you joking?

The star is not called Tippy's Kingdom. You can't actually buy a star or the naming rights. What you did is buy a spot on the list of someone who compiled a personal list of stars, erased their names, and sold the rights to be written in in his logbook

[u/shawlawoff → u/ThatSlyB3]

I also choose this guy’s Tippy Kingdom

[u/BoobyMilker_1224 → u/astro_pettit]

You didn't mention what exposure time you used. This photo can be taken from the earth with high enough exposure. So the exposure time is essential to the majesty of the view alluded to by the photo

[u/audio_addict]

“On my first mission to the International Space Station” is the kind of humble brag I wish I could aspire to.

[u/PsymonFyrestar → u/audio_addict]

"You know when you were talking about driving on the Autobahn I was thinking about this one time when I was driving in the Sea of Tranquility. In the lunar rover." -Brian Regan (paraphrasing)

[u/drill_hands_420 → u/PsymonFyrestar]

DUDE I WAS JUST ABOUT TO REPLY TO HIM WITH “I walked on the moooon”.

Favorite hour of comedy of mine of all time.

“You know, you mentioned driving on the Autobahn, that reminded me. Once I was driving in the Sea of Tranquility. (eats a chip) In my lunar rover. And I, too, was worried about our speed until I remembered, wait, we're the only ones on the moon!”

You were close for the paraphrase!

[u/Mur__Mur → u/audio_addict]

You’ve never been?

[u/weathercat4]

Did experience's like this change your perspective when you look at the night sky. For example does it feel like you're looking out rather than up?

[u/astro_pettit → u/weathercat4]

It gives a deeper understanding of depth. It is easy to look to the night sky and view it as two dimensional. When you go beyond, you gain a different perspective.

[u/benjamindawg → u/astro_pettit]

You're right. I love photos of space where it has noticeable depth. Closer stars actually look closer, and distant stars look further away.

A lot of images of space don't give the illusion of depth like your photograph does here and they appear flat, at least to me. Thanks for sharing!

[u/Flyingpegger → u/benjamindawg]

Ita difficult to understand the depth. At this distance from stars, they are mostly the same size. However, they can be unfathomable in their size difference. It's wild.

Makes you feel small.

[u/proffgilligan → u/astro_pettit]

I would imagine you might feel in it (space) vs on it (earth).

[u/LittleBitGhengisKhan → u/astro_pettit]

I’ve heard this before. Maybe from you, maybe from another astronaut. It would be incredible to experience seeing the depth of space just once in my life.

[u/MozerfuckerJones → u/weathercat4]

I'm really glad to see someone say this.

I was looking up at the moon once, and suddenly a dynamic shift happened in my perspective where I realised I was looking across into space at the celestial object. It sounds obvious in a way, but I think many people still don't perceive it that way. You can logically account for it, but a shift in perception is very trippy.

[u/-Wicked- → u/MozerfuckerJones]

I feel this way when looking at all objects in the night sky. Just knowing that like there's nothing but space and time between me and Jupiter or just some star that's hundreds of lightyears away. Or like that feeling if you've ever laid down on your back in an open field on a clear night away from city lights. You can dissociate from the Earth and feel like you're floating in deep space. Closest I'll ever get to being an astronaut.

[u/manofredgables → u/-Wicked-]

You can dissociate from the Earth and feel like you're floating in deep space. Closest I'll ever get to being an astronaut.

I mean, on the scale of the universe, whether you're on one or the other side of our atmosphere is a trivial detail. We're all floating in deep space!

[u/funguyshroom → u/MozerfuckerJones]

Lying down on the ground to stargaze is very cool, helps to trick your brain that you're looking forward instead of up

[u/buried-alien → u/MozerfuckerJones]

I remember the first time it hit me that the moon was an actual physical object, like literally a big rock in space that I could see just like any other object. It sounds really obvious, but it was still really trippy. Same goes with seeing Jupiter and Saturn through a telescope, it has forever changed my perspective on space

[u/MozerfuckerJones → u/buried-alien]

I can't wait to see them through telescopes myself! I'm sure that's even more crazy.

[u/Ripcord → u/weathercat4]

experience's

Why in the world would this have an apostrophe

[u/I__Know__Stuff → u/Ripcord]

Well, it ends in an "s". Isn't that the universal indication that a word should have an apostrophe?

[u/alex891011 → u/Ripcord]

Why on earth would you clown on someone for a grammatical mistake instead of just teaching them?

[u/blckout_junkie]

You're so awesome for sharing!! Jeez, I can't imagine the excitement you have!! I can't wait for more pics!

[u/blckout_junkie → u/blckout_junkie]

Well, my present tense is all wrong, but I still think that's gotta be one of the feelings ever.

[u/Pluto_and_Charon]

Thanks so much for continuing to post on here, every time it's a delight :)

[u/Bluffwatcher]

Is beetlejuice visibly bigger or is it just brighter?

[u/TheWalkingDeadBeat → u/Bluffwatcher]

Lol somewhat new to stargazing and I had no idea Betelgeuse was pronounced as Beetlejuice until just now. How fun.

[u/IWonderWhereiAmAgain → u/TheWalkingDeadBeat]

I always liked pronouncing it Beh-tel-guh-ice. I figured it was wrong but I refuse to associate a neat star with scary Michael Keaton lol

[u/I__Know__Stuff → u/TheWalkingDeadBeat]

When I first learned that (probably 50 years ago), I was convinced the person who told me was pulling my leg.

[u/uglyspacepig → u/TheWalkingDeadBeat]

I was told it was named after an Arabian astronomer named Beyet-Al-Jooz.

[u/ParaglidingAssFungus → u/TheWalkingDeadBeat]

I always thought it was pronounced like “bettel-geez” (with a hard g).

[u/TheWalkingDeadBeat → u/ParaglidingAssFungus]

That's what I thought too but I just looked it up on Google and it pronounced it Beetlejuice. That's not exactly the most reliable source of course.

I had actually been calling it "Belt-e-goose" but that's because I'm dumb and had been reading it wrong the whole time lol.

[u/BungMcSkrungkins]

Might be a dumb question but is that a meteor falling to earth on the bottom towards the right?

[u/PsymonFyrestar → u/BungMcSkrungkins]

No dumb questions just because you dont know something. Looks like a meteor to me though.

[u/DrFloyd5 → u/BungMcSkrungkins]

You are in the Lucky 10,000 club!

[u/BabyDooms]

Blows my mind how crazy the thought of space is. It's just so beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Earth has its beauty, but whenever I see pictures of space, my mind just can't process how ridiculous it is to think about all the hidden treasures we have yet to discover. Space is breathtakingly unique and I appreciate you sharing it with us.

[u/B1kdmnd92]

Photos like this makes seeing it from earth seem so surreal that we’re but a mere speck in the universe

[u/Stopikingonme]

My favorite pictures are showing the edge of the atmosphere. Gravity is such a weak force that it takes an entire planet just to hold our tiny bodies against and then we can break away with a jump if for a second.

Seeing the atmosphere sucked up against the planet fizzles my brain and I can almost feel the weight of the gases being held in place by the same gravity that hugs me down along with it.

[u/tpwn3r → u/Stopikingonme]

Your comment fills me with the awe of its beauty. Plus some other emotions which are weird and deeply confusing.

[u/Highspdfailure]

It’s you again. Love your Instagram.

You have been blessed to see in person what millions imagine daily. I thank you for sharing these photos.

[u/CFCYYZ]

Rigel rising! A lovely shot, Don, especially handheld at only 800 ISO. You framed fast!
Curious about the small streak just below the horizon. Star? Meteor? City?

[u/frijoler0420]

Hey man, how do you get tickets to go up there? I googled it, but ticket master is shady af

[u/AugieKS]

Orion is my favorite collection of stars in the sky. I've always looked to it, since I was little. I named my son Orion and he was born under the constellation in November. I've never seen them quite like this, thank you for another wonderful thing to show him when he is older.

[u/umeshunni]

Orion above the atmosphere, captured on my...

Looks amazing. Let me read the rest of the post to figure out how they took this shot and which camera they used

first mission to the International Space Station.

Oh, ok...

[u/Impossible-Strike-91]

The green horizon...is that the northern lights?

[u/Rujasu → u/Impossible-Strike-91]

No, the air just emits light on its own. It's called airglow, appropriately enough.

[u/DontEatTheCelery]

What’s the big yellow spot at the top of the picture

[u/MrStayPuftSeesYou]

This is great! I'll never get to be an astronaut but hopefully I'll get to build an amateur rocket that can kiss space for me.

[u/marronite]

does this shot give justice to the view or is it better even than this with your own eyes?

[u/Vudu_doodoo6]

I know this was taken from a digital camera but I would be interested in how being in LEO would effect normal film cameras after long exposure. Or even going through the Van Allen belts.

[u/rotrap → u/Vudu_doodoo6]

The op states this is from Fujichrome ISO 800 film

[u/mehvet → u/Vudu_doodoo6]

Spy satellites existed for decades without digital photography. Film works fine at LEO with the proper precautions apparently.

[u/fariqcheaux]

Betelgeuse looks a bit jaundiced in this photo.

[u/DaddyBoomalati → u/fariqcheaux]

Funny enough, in 2019 it popped, and has dimmed and brightened a couple times since.

[u/TinFoilRobotProphet]

Question. Voyager 2 is moving at 35K miles per hour. Even after it's systems are shut down will it continue at that velocity since theres no friction in space?

[u/Puterman → u/TinFoilRobotProphet]

It will be subject to gravitational and impact course changes, but otherwise yes.

[u/SoccerMonke_y]

What is the object in the bottom right with a tail? Is it like a meteor or space junk?

[u/Ancapitu → u/SoccerMonke_y]

Shhhh astronauts can't acknowledge UFOs

[u/mcbirbo343]

It gives you a whole different perspective… seeing something thousands of light years away in the sky every night is one thing, but sting it with the collections of stars around it makes it so much more impactful. It makes it feel more to it’s true size and distance and swing it on a phone doesn’t do it justice… thank you for sharing this. It’s gorgeous

[u/Mountain_Salamander5]

I thought it said onion instead of orion and was very confused

[u/zryan3564]

That's the very first constellation I spot every night. I noticed it even faster than I notice the Big Dipper. Congrats on making it up there. I would love to make the trip one day. Have fun and stay safe

[u/Strange-Height-8825]

Three groups of stars in this picture don't look random. I understand they are far apart. Can someone please explain? Thanks.

[u/JiggityJonROK]

Did you get the chance to work with Chris Hadfield?

[u/upandup2020]

Can someone point out where orion is? I can't pick it out

[u/aboxacaraflatafan → u/upandup2020]

The three stars that are in a horizontal line are the belt, then (I'm pretty sure) the greenish one and the bright white one both in the upper right quadrant are Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, respectively. This can be compared with u/aksn1p3r's photo if you rotate it about 45 degrees to the right.

[u/aksn1p3r → u/upandup2020]

Its the constellation, multiple stars, look at a clearer representation.

[u/Klondike2022]

What’s that streaky looking star bottom right?

[u/P3pp3rSauc3]

I read it as onion above the atmosphere and was like "yeah that kind of does look like an onion" then felt so stupid coming to the comments lmao

[u/ShortBusCult]

How flat is the earth from up there??

I kid I kid.... an amazing shot!

[u/WarriorSabe]

We need to get you to the moon so you can get Orion from an Orion

[u/astro_pettit → u/WarriorSabe]

I would go to the moon in a heartbeat!

[u/Justherebecausemeh]

It’s crazy how much bigger it looks the closer you get…🥸

[u/Canteaters → u/Justherebecausemeh]

I mean, would a star get that much bigger in the sky if you were an extra 200km up?

[u/MajorPossibility5829 → u/Canteaters]

Just going from Texas to Colorado makes a huge difference

[u/got_outta_bed_4_this → u/MajorPossibility5829]

Maybe the thinner atmosphere at a higher altitude makes them look different, but they're too far away for an altitude change to have any perceptible effect on their apparent size.

[u/Sunsparc → u/Justherebecausemeh]

The atmosphere acts as a lens of sorts, especially when objects are higher in the sky. The effect is more prominent.

[u/FatiTankEris → u/Sunsparc]

Not lens, but a piece of uneven flat glass. Bad seeing.

[u/Unknown622]

Did you end up seeing the galaxy on Orion's belt?

[u/Rypskyttarn → u/Unknown622]

No galaxy there, it's a nebula. 😊

[u/MadIfrit → u/Rypskyttarn]

They were referencing the movie Men in Black where a cat named Orion has an entire miniaturized galaxy around it's neck.

[u/PM-ME-UR-NITS]

Its out of this world that we, as humans, given such strong meaning to the arbitray positioning of stars.

And I love it.

[u/djmd1]

Oh come on that's not even fair karma farming game OP 😂

[u/r3dditornot]

Weird that you can see stars

Astronauts repeatedly say they can't see stars in space

Strange

[u/Lambylambowski]

Strange info

Here. Explain?

[u/t0ny7]

Do you have any star trackers or anything like that? Is it more difficult because you have constant movement?

[u/WEEDsuggest]

Um, what? That is beyond incredible. Thank you for sharing!

[u/MaxStickies]

Really interesting to get that perspective on it, and see all the stars.

[u/Impossible-Strike-91]

The green horizon...is that the northern lights?

[u/[deleted]]

You can actually see the Orion nebula without magnification! That's awesome.

[u/paulperry1974]

Awesome!!! I saw an almost identical picture on pintrest

[u/aotus_trivirgatus]

What is the origin of the blur around the stars? Scratches on the ISS windows?

[u/ash0000]

Thank you for sharing your amazing photos with us. They truly are beautiful!

[u/Turbo406]

I always wonder what the stars would look like to the human eye in space. This is great!

[u/GunzAndCamo]

Orion is without a doubt my favourite constellation. Prolly because it has my favourite Messier object, M42.

[u/Ok-Needleworker8782]

My friends a photographer, she's going to love this post!!!!! Can't wait for her to see this. Absolutely amazing.

[u/beep_check]

is the belt brighter because it's closer, or because the stars are bigger than surrounding stars? or both?

[u/No-Nectarine6763]

If you figure out station attitude adjustment, pls share so I can use the technique on my teenagers

[u/Duckyboi10]

Im able to find Orion’s belt but i cant find the rest. Can someone help?

[u/svenner2020]

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing these photos!

[u/Aightball]

I have always wondered if the constellations looked the same in space as they do on Earth. What a cool photo!!

[u/PM_ME_MY_INFO]

If you try printing this the FBI will show up

[u/hgielatan]

did anyone else grow up calling it rigel & beutguese? i remember being on a school camping thing and calling it that and people were like lol dummy u mean orion's belt? as a kid i was embarrassed but as an adult reflecting on this i can't help but to liken it to someone mispronouncing a word...don't laugh, they learned it from reading.

[u/hushabyesecret]

Wow. Looking at that really shows how insignificant humans are compared to everything else.

[u/JJ4577]

Wow, you can see the Orion nebula so well!!!

For the uninitiated, it's the second "star" in Orion's sword, zoom in, it's fuzzy because it's a nebula, not a star

[u/biotican]

Orion is impossibly gorgeous. Thanks for the photo.

[u/Viridian-Divide]

You folks inspire me. Thank you for this beautiful view!

[u/spitfire_bandit]

What were you feeling when staring out into the void?

[u/got_no_name]

A more personal question: how did you end up becoming an astronaut? I'm honestly a little bit star struck just being able to talk to you (regardless of you responding or not). Were you asked? Did you apply? It's (at least for my generation) the ultimate "goal" for anyone, so did you experience a loss of purpose/goals after your missions ended? How did you overcome that?

[u/el-dongler]

Orion is my favorite constellation. I'm in a major city in Texas, so we see some stars, but Orion is hard to miss. When it's visible, I know winter is around the corner.

It's been my favorite constellation since I was a kid. What did you look up to before you became an astronaut?

[u/AdiSoldier245]

What's the things below orions belt? I always swore you saw something under it on the earth but it looked like a cloud but there's no way you cab look at a nebula with naked eyes right?

[u/Rujasu → u/AdiSoldier245]

The middle star in the "sword sheath" of Orion contains the Orion Nebula. You're absolutely seeing a nebula with your bare eyes.

[u/shnazzyhat]

Born just in time to know what I’m missing out there

[u/deepfriedtots]

The winter triangle is my favorite star formation glad to see 1/3 of it here

[u/star0forion]

Thats so cool! Orion is my favorite constellation. It must be such a surreal experience to experience space. Thank you for sharing the picture!

[u/kuroiiiioruk]

first thing I thought when I saw Orion was cliff burton

[u/cookmanager]

Thanks for posting this. Something about a photo taken by a human hand somewhere high above the atmosphere makes the photo more interesting to me.

I can relate to seeing this image through another human’s eyes, maybe