We get to see the Earth in high definition every day with our high-def eyes, it’s true, but we’re limited to a certain ground-level point of view. Not so much the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. And they’ve just sent down a batch of stunning 4K footage of the Earth taken with their fancy RED Epic Dragon camera.
This isn’t actually the first footage from the Epic Dragon, or even the first 4K video of the Earth from space. The crew has been shooting interior shots of science experiments and bagpipe playing, and they were savvy enough to capture an orbital sunrise right away — but the new cut has a better one. If you’re looking for close-up views of Earth, the astonishing Urthecast camera has you covered.
But this quick reel of “Crew Observations” is still special in its own way, like all my readers. These are carefully planned and properly exposed exterior shots, and it’s certain this is just a taste. Of course, the resulting files are so huge that beaming them down takes ages.