Don Pettit

NASA Astronaut. Photographer. Scientist. Inventor.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Cosmic colors at sunrise; never get tired of seeing what the new day brings

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

In microgravity, crystals experience "hopper growth," where the outer edges and corners grow at faster rates than the flat faces, creating a step-like appearance. This timelapse records their growth inside a thin water film. Look closely, and you will see the patterns emerge!

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

The lights of civilization meet the lights of our final frontier

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Sunbeams viewed from Earth and space above East Africa, in collaboration with National Geographic's @BabakTafreshi. Crepuscular rays are one of the day-night cycle's many beautiful phenomena!

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Denver, Colorado as seen from the ISS. The Denver airport, one of the largest in the world, is the dark patch right of center. To the west, city lights are abruptly extinguished by the Rocky Mountains.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Aurora watching into an orbital dawn. This never gets old!

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Installing a semiconductor furnace on ISS! The furnace will first melt and then solidify semiconductor materials without interference from gravity induced convection. Crystal research has been performed in space for decades, with this experiment using gallium arsenide.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

I have been on an astrophotography adventure in the Atacama desert! Chile has some of the best night skies, for professionals like the Paranal Observatory and for amateur telescope farms. I'll share some of the photos I took with them soon.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

The nighttime coast of San Diego, California seen from the ISS. The Naval Air Station North Island is near the center.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

I photographed this passenger jet from the ISS on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 18:26 UTC over the central Mediterranean.

Can any aviation uber-geeks out there identify this flight?

[Dan Cole @CoachDanCole_]

Sleep is the most powerful medicine on Earth.

It boosts memory, recovery, fat loss, and even helps with anxiety.

Here’s how to improve it with 7 simple steps:

1. Don’t sleep 8 hours.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Once voting is this fraudulent, they can get whatever outcome they want, making a sham of democracy

[Maria Shriver @mariashriver]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the extraordinary outbursts of the President of the United States against female journalists... well, actually against journalists in general and journalism. But it feels like he saves his most childlike behavior and irrational language for female reporters, calling them all kinds of names that kids in kindergarten are given times out for. It’s stunning to me to witness such behavior from any leader, any CEO, any person of influence or importance. I’ve never witnessed someone like this raging, this weekend with @meetthepress host @kwelkernbc, just last week in the Oval Office with @cnn’s @kaitlancollins, calling women stupid or piggy, telling them to “smile”, calling them darling, demeaning their credibility. Every good man should denounce this behavior. Every person should be able to stand up for their colleagues and say “No more.”

Imagine this man screaming like this at your daughter, your wife, your sister, your mother... would you stand for it? No, you wouldn’t! And neither should any of us. It’s unacceptable and undignified. Period. End of story.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Kauai, Hawaii, famous for its mountains and rainforests. The ravines give the island a distinct topography when seen from orbit.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

View through the eye of a Dragon.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

When seen from space, city lights in long exposure create golden streaks across the Earth. Dark patches of water and wilderness can interrupt the pattern, creating jagged effects like these.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan is a beacon of light in the deserts of central Asia. Distinct blue and white urban LEDs visually pop between the yellow sodium lit roads.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Lightning over Maui, Hawaii, photographed from Earth and space in collaboration with National Geographic.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

SpaceX Crew 8 Dragon Endeavour departing the ISS.

[Don Pettit @astro_Pettit]

Milky Way views through the window of Dragon. City lights streak below, and distant satellites flash marks across the exposure while stars remain fixed thanks to my homemade tracker. The result is a contrast of activity between Earth and the stillness of deep space.