This Incredible Photo From the ISS Shows the Center of the Galaxy

Impact

From 250 miles above any interfering city lights, astronauts on the International Space Station have, hands-down, the best spot for stargazing. And this incredible new photo proves it:

NASA

An astronaut took this amazing photo while the ISS was passing over the Pacific Ocean — about 1,600 miles south of Hawaii, according to NASA.

Looking at the photo, you can see the curvature of the Earth and a thin layer of atmosphere in the bottom half of the image. But above that, you're gazing straight into the center of the Milky Way. 

The darker patches of sky are clouds of dust on one of the inner arms of our spiral-shaped galaxy.

That bright light near the bottom right corner is a flash of lightning that has lit up the surrounding clouds. 

Becoming an astronaut might be worth all the studying and training just for a view like this. Or, if you aren't up for a career change, and you have hundreds of thousands dollars to spare, you could always book a ride to the edge of space.