APOD: Around the World in 90 Minutes (2011 Nov 21)

[APOD Robot]

Around the World in 90 Minutes

Explanation: What is it like to circle the Earth? Every 90 minutes, astronauts aboard the International Space Station experience just that. Recently, crew members took a series of light-sensitive videos looking down at night that have been digitally fused to produce the above time-lapse video. Many wonders of the land and sky are visible in the eighteen sequences, including red aurora above green aurora, lights from many major cities, and stars in the background. Looming at the top of the frame is usually part of the space station itself, sometimes seen re-orienting solar panels. Please help create a useful companion guide for this moving video by identifying landmarks, cities, countries, weather phenomena, and even background constellations that appear.

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[alfredo]

I noticed two Blue Jets. Both to the right of the frame.

[Beyond]

sometimes seen re-orienting solar panels.

In clicking on re-orienting, i discovered that this, was NOT one of those times

[TfT]

At 1:02, Orion can be seen rising above the horizon almost directly ahead.

[Totoleg]

@ 2:02 - above Mediteranian Sea
@ 2:42 - above Israel, Gaza & Lebanon, Arabian Peninsula, Suezz Canal, Egypt

[johnrpc]

At 0:37, Chicago and the southern tip of Lake Michigan are seen in the top center of the screen.

[dan5593]

The big yellow one is the sun.

[StarManBob]

At 2.02 you are passing over Italy, with Sicily on the left and Sardinia on the right. In the background to the left is Africa and right is France.

[StarManBob]

At 4:12 you are heading southeast across Texas, the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and Galveston are visible. Also New Orleans is top center.

[starsinhereyes]

(nerd alert)
0:15 Big Dipper's handle (far left)
0:19 Leo (right of center)
0:51 Orion (left)
1:04 Big Dipper (left of center)
1:35 Southern Cross (right of center)
2:26 Big Dipper (left)
2:41 Orion (right)
3:25 Southern Cross (right), followed by Rigel Kent & Hadar at 3:28
3:32 Orion (center), Gemini to the left, followed by *bright* Sirius in Canis Major (center) at 3:35
4:20 Orion (left) with Canis Major to it's right, then Canis Minor at 4:27

[LSTERNDALE]

The following timeline might be helpful to viewers:

Earth time lapse video from ISS

0-25 1.Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
26-43 2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
44-58 3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
59-112 4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
113-137 5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
138-159 6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
200-218 7. Halfway around the World
219-238 8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
239-249 9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
250-305 10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
306-317 11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
318-331 12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
332-343 13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
344-354 14. Views of the Mideast at Night
355-402 15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
403-418 16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
419-430 17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
431-450 18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

[islader2]

The view of the Nile River and the coast of Israel is just outstanding. A geographer's delight, all in all. The music ??? is not worth a hoot.

[Ben B]

2:50 - 2:55 reflection of the moon is in the bottom centre of the frame
4:02 - 4:05 reflection of the moon is in the bottom right of the frame

[crysis]

got this from another site and this was qouted from the guy who did the compilation konig. in order from the shots in the video.

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia

[MLB]

3:47 Orange line - is this the Pakistan-India Border?

[Laurie]

The view of the Nile delta & River at 2:24-26 and 2:39-41 is QUITE striking! Beautiful!
Chicago can be clearly seen both at 0:17-19 and 2:52-55.
The "mitten" of Michigan is in full view at 0:20.
At 1:17-18 you can see the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, the Central Valley and the Los Angeles area.

Now, I have 2 questions:
At 1:24-26 there is a really odd green glow coming, I'm guessing, from somewhere near Guatemala. Any ideas what that is?
Both at 3:47 and at 4:37 (on the left) there is a very prominent orange line. It must be in the Middle East / Southeast Asia. Can anyone identify what it is?

[zloq]

I think this was nicely done.

At 1:40 you can see 4 satellites going by in the sky. At the very end of that section you see something move fast within the band of atmosphere itself. It might just be another fast satellite seen through the atmosphere, and it appears to move faster because it isn't co-moving with the ISS. It's just to the right of the solar panel at the end. I don't think it's an aircraft with lights but I'm not sure.

I'm puzzled by the various reflections from the water at 2:50, 3:47 and 3:20. Some are very well defined - others are quite broad - and the one at 3:47 has a V-shape. There are also reflections from the window itself of things within the ISS - but these spots all appear to be associated with water. The moon is an obvious cause for at least some of the bright and small spots - but I don't know what is causing the others. I think one section has two spots visible at the same time. I can imagine if the light is right they could see the reflection of the ISS in the water - but it would be directly below. Moon, venus, jupiter are all candidates - but the broad reflection is so different.

zloq

[pmersa]

at 2:00 (just beginning the mediterranean excursion from the west): left, Sahara desert, centre, the Magreb (north Africa), in the distance, at right, the Gibraltar strait and next to it the Iberian peninsula, Portugal on the Atlantic coast (top) and Spain the rest (also touching the mediterranean at the bottom); you can also spot the Balliearic islands (Maillorca and Menorca the most famous) in the next second.

[PacRim Jim]

Lotsa meteors
Nile River Valley twice, about halfway through

[nln]

Re: the time lapse, how speeded up is this? Does this video show the actual speed that astronauts in the ISS see the earth passing below them? When you see the ISS passing overhead from the ground, it's really trucking across the sky.

[mat-ray]

At 2:42 you have Egypt (and the settlements along the river Nile making the main horizontal snake of light) with the main mass of lights above being Israel

[matthewfdoherty]

I am almost positive the bright orange line at ~3:47 is the great wall of china (the thing directly to the right of it being korea). it certainly could possibly turn out to be the middle east, but can someone else please explain what exactly the presence of the solid orange line is? some strange series of buoys along the red sea?

[david herman]

3:47 Orange line - is this the Pakistan-India Border?

hello, I confirmed your interrogation, this is the Pakistan-India Border.
you've find other information at this address: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/EarthObservator ... tNight.htm
David

[appleman]

"Both at 3:47 and at 4:37 (on the left) there is a very prominent orange line."
This orange line is the border between Pakistan and India.

[pking]

[quote="LSTERNDALE"]The following timeline might be helpful to viewers:

Earth time lapse video from ISS

0-25 1.Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
26-43 2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night

First pass is from southwest US NEwd across Great Lakes to the Gulf of St Lawrence. Passes over Chicago About 20sec. Is first major city Denver?

Second pass is from NE Pacific across western Canada to SE US. First major cities (about 31sec) are Calgary and Edmonton. Chicago appears at 36sec