NASA releases stunning image of ISS moving around the sun

Anna Iovine
Updated

On December 17, several beautiful photos of the International Space Station (ISS) were taken in Newbury Park, California.

The ISS is a "home" for astronauts as well as a science lab for multiple countries. Made up of multiple parts, the first was launched in 1998; the station was complete in 2011.

ISS' purpose is for scientists to observe how humans can live in space, and how to keep a spacecraft functional for a long period of time. NASA even has a page where you can find out when you can see the ISS above where you live.

The photo NASA released is a composite of ten frames; the ISS -- with its six members on board -- travels at around five miles per second.

This composite image, made from ten frames, shows the International Space Station, with a crew of six onboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, from Newbury Park, California. Onboard as part of Expedition 50 are: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson: Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Oleg Novitskiy: and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Credit: NASA

The stunning sight shows just how vast the sun is compared to us, and how fast the brave astronauts are moving.

Check out other incredible space photos

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