Seeing the Earth from space never gets old. NASA astronaut Zena Cardman recently shared a breathtaking time-lapse video that seems to capture the planet in all its glory. Filmed during SpaceX’s CRS-33 mission, the clip compresses hours of orbital movement into a few magical seconds. Lightning storms flicker, sunsets blaze, stars twinkle, and the Moon glints in a way that almost feels surreal.Zena Cardman is not just filming pretty scenes. She’s a geobiologist. Her work focuses on life in extreme environments, like deep-sea vents and Antarctic ice. That background seems to have shaped her approach to space research. She joined NASA in 2017 and has contributed to Expeditions 73 and 74.
NASA astronaut captures Earth like never before in 60x speed time-lapse in a viral video
The time-lapse compresses the station’s movements at 60 times real speed. It seems ordinary manoeuvres can look extraordinary when seen from above. Cardman explained that the @Space_Station rarely makes big orientation changes, but this mission included a slow flip, going butt-first, then righting again.Experts say this kind of footage gives scientists a way to study Earth in ways normal cameras can’t capture. Lightning storms, air glow, sunrise, sunset, all captured in a single sweep. Even the Moon’s reflection dances across the ocean. You can almost feel the rotation of the planet, the tilt of the axis, the sheer vastness.
Viral space footage captures Earth spinning in stunning detail
Cardman said the footage is one of her favourites. It reportedly shows the station flipping in what she called an ‘orbital cartwheel’ from the Atlantic to the Pacific. People watching it online have been left in awe, remarking how small and fragile Earth looks from above. It appears her fascination with life in extreme conditions makes her appreciate these orbital views uniquely. The time-lapse clip has gone viral, with all the rare elements, including storms, sunlight, stars, and moonlight, in one fluid shot. Cardman told followers it captured ‘a little of everything,’ and that really comes through.Observers say it’s also a reminder of how small we are. From above, national borders disappear. Oceans and continents flow seamlessly into each other. It’s almost meditative, a moment to pause and think about Earth’s fragility. Kids, adults, space enthusiasts, all are stopping to watch, pointing out their favourite parts, sharing screenshots.
