A US photographer incredibly managed to capture the exact moment the International Space Station (ISS) passed in front of the Sun – right as a sunspot group flared up – creating a visually stunning and rare spectacle.
He shared the breathtaking images and a short video of the ISS transit on his Instagram, where the station appears to zoom past the Sun in a flash. No surprise he described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime shot.”
Alongside the images, he wrote: “While waiting for the ISS to transit the sun, a sunspot group started flaring, leading to this once-in-a-lifetime shot. The most detailed solar transit photo I’ve ever done, and one I’m thrilled to release as a limited edition print for a short time. I’ll have it available in two versions, one like this and another that is a wide panorama with the ISS against the full sun, showing just how small mankind’s largest spacecraft is against the more distant sun. I call the piece ‘Kardashev Dreams’, representing our first steps to being a much greater civilization.”
See pictures here
He added that he carefully examines the fine details of each shot to ensure they’re worthy of print – a process that takes time. He described the image as one of his all-time favourites due to the rarity of capturing both a solar flare and an ISS transit in a single frame.
“See the still photos or get the print in one of two versions through the weekend only if I don’t run through the limited editions,” he added.
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a collaborative global project that brings together international astronauts, various launch systems, training centers, mission control facilities, and a global network of researchers. It serves as a cutting-edge microgravity laboratory advancing science, education, and technology for the benefit of humanity.
The programme received official approval from President Ronald Reagan in 1984, with funding from the US Congress. Soon after, NASA Administrator James Beggs invited international partners to join. Canada, Japan, and several European Space Agency (ESA) nations came on board early, followed by Russia in 1993 during a major redesign phase.
Construction of the ISS components began in the late 1980s across the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe. Since its first crewed mission in 2000, the ISS has transformed from a basic outpost to a highly advanced research hub.
Now in its third decade of continuous human presence, the ISS plays a crucial role in hosting scientific experiments, technological demonstrations, and international collaboration.
Indian astronaut on ISS
Indian astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, serving as the Mission Pilot for Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:21 am ET on June 25.
Shukla piloted the Dragon spacecraft, which successfully performed an automated docking with the International Space Station (ISS) at 4:05 pm IST on June 26—well ahead of schedule. The spacecraft attached to the space-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module.
Upon arrival, the Ax-4 crew was greeted by the seven-member Expedition 73 team and participated in a safety orientation.
The Ax-4 mission crew includes NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ISRO astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and European Space Agency astronauts Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. They are expected to remain aboard the ISS for up to 14 days.
