Astronaut Catches Rare Photo Of Pyramids From Space Station

You wouldn’t think it, but apparently taking a picture of Egypt’s iconic pyramids from space is a very difficult task and that getting a decent picture would be nearly impossible. That was until this week when astronaut Terry Virts managed to capture a clear picture of the pyramids aboard the International Space Station.

It took me until my last day in space to get a good picture of these! pic.twitter.com/BChtFZBvk7

— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) June 10, 2015

Man made wonders like the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China appear massive at ground level, but from space is barely noticeable as they tend to disappear into their surroundings. After spending close to 200 days aboard the International Space Station, Virts managed to capture the photo on his last day before heading back to earth and posted the image to Twitter on June 10^th. He isn't the first astronaut to take a picture of the Great Pyramids of Giza, however it is the first that clearly shows them standing out from their surroundings.  The only other image we were able to find by an astronaut (below) was captured last September  by a crew member, however, the Pyramids are barely noticeable.

(Photo Courtesy of NASA)

Some will say they have seen better pictures of the Pyramids from space using a Google satellite; however satellite imagery is not the same as taking a photo on a camera in a space station.

Shortly after posting the picture to Twitter, the image went viral with many sharing the rare and awe-inspiring historical landmark from a new point of view.