Have you ever looked up at the stars and began to feel your problems melt away as you realise that, in the grand scheme of things, they’re pretty insignificant? (If not, you really should head to the country and give it a go.)
Well, one astronaut has posted a stunning image of London from space that is bound to fill you with awe – and remind you just how small you are.
NASA’s Robert Shane Kimbrough took the image of the capital at night time from the International Space Station, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of 250 miles.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The fascinating image shows a black River Thames snaking its way through areas of sparkling lights and thousands of clearly visible lit-up streets. Key landmarks can also be seen, including Tower Bridge, Wembley Stadium and a bright-white O2 arena in Greenwich.
Some of London’s biggest green spaces, including Hyde Park, Regent’s Park and Battersea Park, appear as black expanses, and the surrounding boroughs are notably dimmer than the capital’s glistening centre.
Kimbrough shared the image on Twitter on Sunday, with the caption: “Good evening London from @Space_Station!”. It has garnered more than 1,800 retweets and nearly 6,000 likes at the time of writing.
Kimbrough, a former US Army Colonel, is taking part in the Expedition 49/50 mission along with Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenk, reported the Mirror.
Evidently quite the crowd-pleaser, Kimbrough has posted a number of captivating images since arriving at the station last September, which have helped him amass nearly 50,000 Twitter followers.
He shared a similarly spectacular photo of Dublin on Friday for St Patrick’s Day, which was taken by the European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Happy #StPatricksDay Spectacular #Dublin, Ireland captured by @thom_astro from @Space_Station. Enjoy the #StPatricksFest Parade down there! pic.twitter.com/5yKuFyoOUc
— Shane Kimbrough (@astro_kimbrough) March 17, 2017
Why not browse through his images next time you're feeling stressed or down? We're not saying it'll magic your problems away, by any means, but it may just help you see them in a new light.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT