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The moon looks majestic in ISS astronaut’s stunning photo

The moon as seen from the space station.
Matthew Dominick/NASA

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has shared a stunning image that he took recently aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The photograph shows a large-looking moon dominating the scene, which also includes clouds a couple of hundred miles below.

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“Went to the cupola to shoot Tropical Storm Hone near Hawaii but right after we passed by the storm the moon started to set,” Dominick, who’s been aboard the ISS since March, said in a comment accompanying the post.

The moon setting over the Pacific.

Went to the cupola to shoot Tropical Storm Hone near Hawaii but right after we passed by the storm the moon started to set.

400mm, ISO 500, 1/20000s shutter speed, f2.8, cropped, denoised. pic.twitter.com/YtboVnRNpF

— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) August 24, 2024

Besides working on various science projects during his time aboard the orbital laboratory, Dominick has also earned a reputation as a photographer of some considerable talent.

The astronaut has been sharing his photographic work with his 17,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), including an array of images showing not only Earth and beyond, but also the interior of the space station. He also likes to try different camera settings to experiment with particular photographic techniques such as multiple exposures.

What’s made Dominick’s efforts particularly engaging is his willingness to share the tricks of his trade, with most of his photo-based posts including details on how he captured each shot.

Astronauts photographing Earth from aboard the International Space Station often shoot out of the facility’s seven-window Cupola module, which offers panoramic views of our planet and space. Indeed, it was from the Cupola that Dominick captured his extraordinary moon image.

Another astronaut who spent a good deal of time in the Cupola to capture dazzling shots of Earth was Thomas Pesquet. The Frenchman revealed just how much planning was required to get the images, with his efforts clearly paying off.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
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