Crew of Expedition 40 on International Space Station captures breathtaking photo of Italy

Andrew Tavani
Updated
Italy oblique night image international space station expedition 40
Italy oblique night image international space station expedition 40



By ANDREW TAVANI

Italy is one of the world's most geographically easily recognizable countries thanks to its signature boot shape, which earned it the famous nickname 'The Boot' (or 'Lo Stivale' in Italian). Last Saturday, Expedition 40 crew members aboard the International Space Station captured a breathtaking photo of the Italian peninsula from outer space -- at night. The 'oblique night image,' which illustrates the iconic boot in a way many have likely never seen before, was posted to the ISS Facebook page, where it's racked up around 5,000 likes as of this report.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is aboard the ISS and has proven prolific at posting stunning images from space during his time in orbit, posted the image to his Twitter feed, where it was retweeted more than 7,000 times and favorited more than 7,800 times. It's easy to see why as this pic is nothing short of extraordinary.

Earlier on AOL.com:

NASA's awesome Instagram photos



More to see on AOL.com:

For 31 amazing photos from July, click here.

For 30 amazing photos from June, click here.

For 31 amazing photos from May, click here.

For 30 amazing photos from April, click here.

For 31 amazing photos from March, click here.

For 28 amazing photos from February, click here.

Advertisement