Astronauts’ pictures from space are unfailingly beautiful, but these new pictures released by NASA are some of the most breathtaking space photos ever seen by the public. They are the first-ever pictures of an American Space Shuttle docked at the International Space Station.

The once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity occurred when Italian astronaut Paulo Nespoli was returning home after a five-month mission on the ISS. He happened to depart while the US Space Shuttle Endeavor was docked. Since two missions have never before overlapped like this, NASA and the ESA arranged to document the incredible sight.

From his Soyuz craft, Nespoli snapped these truly fascinating photos as the ISS was rotated to provide him with the perfect angle. Since NASA’s shuttles are being retired indefinitely, this important first might also be a last – at least for the foreseeable future.

The post World’s First Space Pictures of US Shuttle Docked at ISS first appeared on Gajitz.

Volcanoes are a devastating force that can rip apart the land around them, cover the surrounding area in ash, even temporarily block out the sun’s light. We’ve all probably seen pictures and videos of volcano eruptions, but this image of Sarychev Peak on Matua Island erupting is even more special. It was captured on June 12, 2009 by the International Space Station, which just happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch this unique and incredible picture. The image shows the volcanic plume rising into the sky, but it also shows a fluffy cloud among the volcanic ash, which is probably condensed water vapor rising with the ash. The image also shows a kind of shock wave as the clouds are pushed back from the force of the eruption. Volcanologists are excited about these unique images because they show several phenomena that occur in the early stages of a large eruption.

The above images show Matua Island before the eruption (in May 2007) and just after the eruption. In the left image, the red indicates vegetation, the black indicates water, and clouds, ice and water vapor are white. The gray to dark brown areas indicate volcanic rock, both from old lava flows and from the recent vegetation. Clearly, after the eruption the northwest corner of the island is covered in volcanic ash. Additionally, the coastline appears to have extended a small amount from the new ash and rock deposits. These amazing photos and others like them have contributed untold amounts of new information to our understanding of how volcanoes work, and they wouldn’t have been possible without the technology that allows us to keep an eye on Earth from space.

The post Massive Volcanic Eruption Seen From Space Station first appeared on Gajitz.