Floating 258 miles above, NASA astronauts on board the International Space Station have a view like no other and can therefore photograph Earth in unique ways.
Recently, the NASA Johnson Flickr page uploaded a dramatic set of photos showing the inside of a tropical cyclone. The picture was lit by thunder bolts.
Category 1 Hurricane Erick brought heavy rainfall to parts of southern and southwestern Mexico in June 2025. It caused flash floods and mudslides that left at least 23 dead, 28 injured, and two missing. The total damage was estimated at $250 million, according to Wikipedia.
The awesome photos do not have an author ascribed to them, but we do know they were taken on June 20 at roughly 3.42 AM local time as Hurricane Erick stormed across the Pacific Ocean south of the Mexican state of Chiapas. The photos were uploaded just a few days ago.
Astronauts onboard the ISS have become prolific photographers, and while the identity of the photograph’s author is unknown, we do know it was shot on a Nikon Z9 with a Nikon 200mm f/2 VR attached, set at 1/125 of a second, f/2.0, and 12,800 ISO.
The photos were likely taken by one of the Expedition 73 Crew, which includes NASA flight engineers Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, and Jonny Kim. Out of the three, Nichole “Vapor” Ayers has proven to be the most accomplished photographer, having captured a spectacular image of a sprite — a rare form of lightning that shoots up from a thunderstorm — earlier this month.
Don Pettit, who is arguably the best photographer to ever visit space, mentioned last year that he was on a mission to capture a photo of a sprite directly from above. Along with fellow talented photographer and astronaut Matthew Dominick, the pair were shooting thousands of photos while flying over lightning storms in the hope that a sprite would shoot up toward them. Sadly, it hasn’t been accomplished yet.
Image credits: NASA