Time Lapse Video of Earth from Space

This time lapse footage was taken by astronaut Don Pettit — of Saturday Morning Science and the Zero-G coffee cup fame — during his time on the International Space Station.

It shows Earth from day to night and back to day again. Pettit was on the ISS from November 23, 2002 to May 3, 2003, so he was in space when the Columbia accident happened. Pettit is one of the most interesting and quirkier astronauts and his return to the ISS is scheduled for 2011. This video provides some great views of Earth, especially at night, that can’t be captured with a regular video shot.