NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured the beginning of this orbital sunrise on August 15, 2024, while aboard the International Space Station.

Crew members aboard the orbital lab have taken hundreds of thousands of images of Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere, and even the moon via Crew Earth Observations. Their pictures of Earth record how the planet is changing over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor and respond to disasters on the ground and study everything from glacier movement to urban wildlife.

Image Credit: NASA/Matthew Dominick