Orbiting Stars Through an Astronaut's Window

From the night side of Earth, the galactic plane unfolds in sharp detail outside Crew Dragon Freedom, blending the cosmic light of northern and southern stars in a serene panorama.

Prompt

One question I get a lot is can you see the stars differently from up in space. When we orbit on the night side of the planet, we get a view of the stars very much like being in a very dark place on Earth. And because of our orbital inclination, we get to see the stars of both the northern and southern hemisphere. I captured this shot of our galactic plane from one of the windows of the Crew Dragon Freedom that is docked to the zenith docking port.
Published: May 4, 2026 by