Watch CBS News

Space Station Crosses The Sun In Perfectly-Timed Photo

(CBS SF) -- Many Californians enduring a late-summer heat wave may shudder at this latest NASA photo of the International Space Station crossing in front of our blazing sun.

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls made the composite image from five photos taken on Sunday at the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

It shows the $100 billion space station staffed with nine crew members, including NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren, whirling past the face of the sun at nearly 18,000 mph.

Capturing the space station's fast-moving transit is no small feat.

In July, Australian photographer Dylan O'Donnell captured a photo of the ISS passing in front of a full moon. But after he waited 12 months for the perfect moment when the space station would enter the same frame as a full moon.

moon over iss
ISS flying in front of the moon. (Dylan O'Donnell)

Nicole Jones is a digital producer for CBS San Francisco. Follow her musings @nicjonestweets

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.