From engadget we learn that NASA has now given us real-time video of Earth from the International Space Station:
NASA has switched on the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment, an internet stream that shows the station’s view of our planet in real time; you can check it out below. Developed and run in part by high school students, it includes both multiple 720p camera feeds and the ISS crew’s radio chatter.
The footage isn’t always riveting — HDEV will occasionally lose contact, and there isn’t much to see when the station is on the dark side of the world. Even so, it should still serve a noble purpose. It’s testing both the quality of Earth-facing cameras as well as their ability to survive high doses of radiation while in orbit. Once the experiment goes offline in October 2015, NASA will use the results to decide what cameras it uses on future missions. Don’t be surprised if awe-inspiring views become a staple of spaceflight in the near future.
Here’s the ISS HD Earth Viewing link. I urge you to have a look.
And here’s a screenshot I took at 9:30. I watched the ISS moving over the Earth when I took it; it was quite stirring:
And. . . you’ll see a sunrise and sunset every 90 minutes!
Very, very cool. And thanks to a commenter there, I’m also clued into a live reefcam in Grand Cayman. 🙂
This is fascinating stuff! Thanks for the link, Jerry.
I wonder if religions today would be a lot more benign if humans had this perspective of Earth 3,000 years ago.
For many years I watched the ISS fly over. There are websites and mobile apps that will precisely show you where and when to look for it. Equally amazing is the math and technology that goes into doing that.
WOW! I don’t know what it is about the lens they’re using, but it makes the earth look round!!! What sort of trickery is this?
I think the Flat Earthers have already exposed that trick – it’s a fish-eye lens!
🙂
Scott,
This is great, slower than watching grass grow, but amazing and spell binding.
Love,
Now watch it while listening to the Gravity soundtrack …
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I had a bit of a giggle that they felt the need to explain the lack of audio.
Why can’t I see anything? I click on the link, and the video feed is just completely black. What’s going on?
From the site:
***QUICK NOTES ABOUT HDEV VIDEO*** Black Image = International Space Station (ISS) is on the night side of the Earth. Gray Image = Switching between cameras, or communications with the ISS is not available. No Audio = Normal. There is no audio on purpose. Add your own soundtrack.
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Ah, I got it now. Thanks, mate!