NASA astronaut shares Earth's day and night boundary from International Space Station

Stunning images captured from the International Space Station that depicts an astronaut’s experience while flying in the middle of the line between darkness and daylight on planet Earth have been released by NASA. Also shared by Expedition 59 astronaut Christina Koch on Twitter May 20, the images give a glimpse into the orbiting complex's solar arrays from the window of the space station. While clouds float relatively above the surface of the Earth, the mystical pictures detail how night recedes for the daylight to illuminate the planet. 

"A couple of times a year, the @Space_Station orbit happens to align over the day/night shadow line on Earth," Koch wrote as a caption on the image. "We are continuously in sunlight, never passing into Earth's shadow from the sun, and the Earth below us is always in dawn or dusk. A beautiful time to cloud watch." Koch added the hashtag #nofilter, citing that no artificial computed effects have been applied to the image.

A former NASA astronaut Mike Fossum's replied to Koch’s post noting that Astronauts had differing views about the Earth. "This was my least favourite time on orbit because our view of my favorite planet was at its worst — always distorted by low angles of light," he said. "Couldn't wait for clear days and clear nights to capture images! But enjoy your journey through the Shadowlands!" 

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Further, lauding the efforts of the employees in NOAA's Global Monitoring Division, and Koch, Fossum appreciated the discoveries and images the team researched about the planet’s lesser-known facts. Global Monitoring Division team observed greenhouse gases, the carbon cycle, recovery of ozone in the stratosphere, and changes in clouds, aerosols, and surface radiation, as per Space journal.  

Station chief at GMD's Baseline Observatory in Utqiagvik

Koch was employed at the GMD's Baseline Observatory in Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow), Alaska, and at the American Samoa Observatory, prior to her joining the astronaut corps. According to reports, she worked as a station chief earlier. In her posts, Koch emphasized that she had worked with GMD with great enthusiasm during winters at Amundsen‐Scott South Pole Station. 

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(All Images Courtesy: NASA/SPACE Journal)