A captivating animation has provided viewers with a better understanding of the tremendous speed at which the International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth.
In a video posted on YouTube, an animation illustrates what it might appear like if the ISS were to pass by at a much lower altitude.
Completing its journey around the planet every 93 minutes, the ISS makes 15.5 orbits per day and maintains an average altitude of 400 kilometers (250 miles). Due to its considerable distance from Earth, its velocity is often underestimated, but a YouTube clip from Airplane Mode offers a new perspective.
A viewer humorously commented: “We should all be thankful for the bravery of the astronauts who daringly flew the ISS at such a low altitude just to give us this amazing footage.”
Another expressed astonishment at the speed: “If you can spot it at night, it’s really amazing how quickly it goes from horizon to horizon.”
This animation also inspired some philosophical reflections on humanity and the universe.
Consider this comment: “This only makes me appreciate the size of the Earth even more. The fact that mountains are only in frame for a fraction of a second and it would take an hour and a half version of this video to complete one circle is crazy to me. We are so tiny.”
Another person humorously added: “Next you’re gonna tell me the Sun actually is a happy baby’s face and our true overlords are the Teletubbies.”
For those unfamiliar with spotting the ISS, someone offered helpful advice: “For anyone unaware, you can see the ISS every now and then at night near your location.
“You just need to look up ISS flybys, then type in (near your location). Two days in a row, I got lucky seeing a satellite and the ISS 2 minutes apart. There are also live streams on YouTube of astronauts speaking from the ISS, and they sometimes say hello to you. Honestly, it’s so great.”
“Forgot to mention it happened a third time with the ISS flying over with a satellite about a month later and we started seeing a bunch of random stars moving, turns out there was a meteor shower at the same time and about 3 more satellites flew by.”
Finally, the video could serve as a soothing watch before bed, as one viewer mentioned: “I’d really watch a 3 hour version where the ISS goes around the Earth twice with some chill ambient music.”