If you need a break from whatever Earthly news is terrifying you today, might I suggest the stellar photo above? It’s even better in super high resolution — see for yourself. Click, breathe, and be awed.
This is a picture of the Orbital Cygnus spacecraft as it approached the International Space Station this weekend. It’s not a fantastic image because of some particularly deft use of basic photographic technique. Rather, it stands apart because of the wonderful timing. Stress about the basics of photography all you want, but they’ll only get you so far without good timing and, sometimes, a little bit of luck.
Spacecraft arrive at the ISS all the time, and the astronauts aboard are capable of capturing breathtaking photos of the process. But those spacecraft don’t always make their approach while the ISS is at that sweet spot in orbit where the Sun’s rays gift the clouds below with such a lovely orange hue. Luckily for us, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet was ready when that happened.