This is a reissue of Alexander Gerst’s highly popular Earth timelapses clip, originally published in December 2014. In line with ESA’s Open Access Policy, a new soundtrack has been added and both video and sound re-released under an Open Access compliant Creative Commons licence that allows anybody to broadly use, re-use utilise and build upon it.

Watch Earth through the perspective of ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst in this six-minute timelapse video from space, accompanied by a new awe-inspiring soundtrack by Berlin-based electronic musician, creative technologist and TEDxESA collaborator Peter Kirn.

Combining 12 500 images taken by Alexander during his six-month Blue Dot mission on the International Space Station in 2014, this Ultra High Definition video shows the full beauty of our planet.

Marvel at the auroras, sunrises, clouds, stars, oceans, the Milky Way, the International Space Station, lightning, cities at night, spacecraft and the thin band of atmosphere that protects us from space.

Often while conducting scientific experiments or docking spacecraft Alexander would set cameras to automatically take pictures at regular intervals. Combining these images gives the timelapse effect seen in this video.

Alexander Gerst will return to the Space Station between May and December 2018 where he will fulfil the role of Commander for Expedition 57.

Follow Alexander Gerst via alexandergerst.esa.int

Copyright
Video: ESA – European Space Agency 2017, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Audio: “Anaxagoras” by Peter Kirn/Establishment Records, CC BY-SA 3.0