In the photo from the space station, the comet is captured just above Earth’s horizon, which is illuminated by a bright light — also known as airglow — that occurs in the planet’s upper atmosphere when atoms and molecules emit light after being excited by sunlight.

One of the many advantages of being in space is having a front-row seat to the most anticipated cosmic events.

People who appreciate good astrophotography will no doubt be familiar with the work of Don Pettit, a veteran NASA astronaut who is closing in on having lived 500 days of his life in space. Pettit is now in the midst of his third stint on the International Space Station,

He used long exposure camera techniques to capture a jaw-dropping image from 257 miles up on the International Space Station.