Take a look at the best recent photos taken by astronauts on the ISS

NASA took to social media Monday, July 6, to share a video of July 4 fireworks taken above Los Angelesas the space station flew over California.
"A celebration so bright it reached all the way to space!" NASA remarked on Instagram.

NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured video of fireworks from the International Space Station over Beijing, China.

The fireworks were part of Lunar New Year festivities in China as billions of people around the world celebrated the 15-day festival in February.

Sophie Adenot, a French astronaut with the European Space Agency, captured photos at the end of May of Mount Etna and Mount Vesuviusfrom the International Space Station as the outpost flew over Italy.

Adenot was able to capture a series of striking photos of the famed volcanoes, four of which she shared on social media site X. The unexpected view of Mount Vesuvius, located east of Naples, came moments after the astronauts also witnessed Mount Etna nearby on the east coast of Sicily.

"From orbit, volcanoes are some of the most beautiful natural sights," Adenot said in the post.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir captured a streaking meteor from the International Space Station as the orbital outpost orbited about 250 miles above Earth.
The photograph, which she shared April 20 on social media, was taken before the annual Lyrids meteor shower peaked in activity.

A dazzling aurora was captured Jan. 11 by an astronaut from the International Space Station.

Because the International Space Station orbits so close to Earth's atmosphere (about 250 miles high,) the outpost and the astronauts who have lived aboard it have been the source of plenty of spectacular photos of our planet for 25 years. This recent photo, taken April 6, 2026, shows auroras glowing over the Indian Ocean.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain captured several images in May 2025 of lightningas seen from the International Space Station. The technique, in which images are taken at 120 frames per second, was pioneered by astronaut Don Pettit.

McClain said her images were captured over Alabama and Georgia.

NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured this photo in July 2025 of what is known as a Transient Luminous Event above the clouds of a thunderstorm while orbiting above Earth on the International Space Station.

Known as a "sprite," the atmospheric event is associated with lightning and is incredibly difficult to capture from the ground since it typically occurs about 50 miles high above the clouds.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir snapped this photo Sept. 8 of the United States, with city lights looking toward New York City (at center).

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir snapped this photo at the end of September of the topography of the Northern Patagonia Icefields. "There are so many incredible places to explore both on and off our home planet," she remarked in a post on Instagram.

Astronaut Jessica Meir captured this photo Aug. 6 during a spacewalk with Anil Menon looking down on Earth.

An astronaut aboard ISS captured this photo that NASA shared Oct. 7 on Instragram of the Saririaky anorthosite massif in Madagascar. Anorthosite is a rock formed from magma that cools beneath Earth's surface and is made up of large mineral crystals. The massif is "surrounded by a red rocky area, with veins of green threading throughout," NASA wrote in the post.

This photo of Egypt’s Nile River was taken aboard ISS as it soared above Earth. "The river sparkles with city lights, highlighting where people live along the waterways," NASA said in an Oct. 14 post sharing the photo on Instagram.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, renowned for his astral photography, shared this 2012 photo of the riverside lights of the Nile beneath a starry sky in an Oct. 3 post on Instagram. "One of the most striking nighttime views from orbit!" Pettit remarked in the post.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit, renowned for his astral photography, shared this undated photo of the nighttime lights of Toronto, Canada in an Oct. 17 post on Instagram. Pettit returned in April 2025 from his most recent stint at the ISS.