NASA astronaut Jonny Kim poses for a photo inside the International Space Station's "window to the world." NASA 2025 marked 25 years of nonstop human presence on the International Space Station. Photos shared by NASA show what life looked like 250 miles above Earth this year. Astronauts photographed the northern lights, hurricanes, lightning, rivers, and city streets. In the 25 years since the first permanent crew docked at the International Space Station, fewer than 300 people have experienced what life is like there, 250 miles above Earth. The rest of us can only imagine it. So, for NASA astronauts like Don Pettit, taking photographs of our planet while aboard the ISS is a way to share the experience with people on the ground. "It's a labor of love," Pettit said of his photography in an interview from space in December 2024. "That's what astronauts spend a lot of their off-duty time doing: doing imagery, collecting the photographs that go with the memories to tell the story of what it's like up here." In 2025, NASA shared thousands of photographs of Earth taken by its astronauts from the International Space Station. The powerful images captured weather events from above, including deadly hurricanes and lightning strikes. Others showed the pinks and greens of the northern lights and what sunrises look like from space. While there are challenges in taking photos from the ISS — the multiple layers of windows, for example, cause reflections that need to be overcome — there are benefits as well. Large camera setups, like Pettit's 800-millimeter telephoto lens and solar filter, would be cumbersome in a place with gravity. "There are things we can do up here that would make many photographers envious when they're mounting their heavy gear on stout tripods," Pettit said. Take a look at some of the most awe-inspiring images of Earth taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station in 2025. This year, 25 astronauts lived at the ISS to conduct research and complete maintenance. They also took thousands of photos. Astronaut Anne McClain on the International Space Station in May 2025. NASA Source: NASA From 250 miles above Earth, they witnessed jaw-dropping sights, such as the northern lights stretching across the horizon. Clouds cover the Gulf of Alaska beneath the aurora borealis in March 2025, in a photo captured from the ISS. NASA Astronaut Don Pettit captured the Milky Way behind Earth's atmospheric glow. Astronaut Don Pettit captured an image of the Milky Way appearing beyond Earth's horizon from the ISS in January 2025. NASA/Don Pettit "Photographs help complete the story of what it means for human beings to expand into space and expand into this frontier," Pettit said. The Milky Way above the Earth from the International Space Station in August 2025. NASA/JAXA Source: NASA This long-exposure photo by astronaut Nichole Ayers shows mesmerizing, illuminated arcs of star trails. The photo was taken over 31 minutes from the International Space Station in July 2025. NASA/Nichole Ayers Using a handheld camera, Ayers also captured neon northern lights above the Indian Ocean. The photo was taken as the ISS soared 269 miles above Australia and Antarctica in June 2025, NASA reported. NASA/Nichole Ayers Her image of lightning above Milan looks like something out of a movie. Lightning above Milan, Italy, as seen from the ISS in July 2025. NASA/Nichole Ayers "I'm still amazed by every sunrise and every sunset that I get to see," Ayers told Denver7. "I try to take as many pictures as I can so that we can share it with you all." A photo taken from the International Space Station shows New Year's Day dawning on Cuba in 2025. NASA Source: Denver7 Their views are incomprehensible to us on Earth. Here, they saw an orbital sunset — the last rays of the sun as the ISS slipped into Earth's shadow. The ISS' Harmony module and robotic arm were photographed in front of an orbital sunset while above the southern Indian Ocean in August 2025. NASA Some of the views are far more recognizable, such as the (upside-down) boot of Italy next to the island of Sicily. The boot of Italy and Sicily are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Mediterranean Sea in September 2025. NASA Another unmistakable sight: Dubai's manmade islands in the Persian Gulf. Dubai's manmade islands visible from the International Space Station in June 2025. NASA The sands of the Sahara Desert in Libya were seen behind an extending robotic arm in August. The ISS' Harmony module, with its robotic arm and hand, is seen above the Saharan Desert in Libya in August 2025. NASA Another photo looks down on Mount Damavand. At more than 18,000 feet, it's the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in Asia. Mount Damavand, a dormant volcano in Iran, is captured by the ISS in May 2025. NASA Also visible from space is the Manicouagan crater, caused by a 3-mile-wide asteroid that crashed into what is now Quebec 214 million years ago. The ISS flies over the Manicouagan crater in Quebec, Canada, in January 2025. NASA Source: NASA The lights of the Nile River, leading to Cairo, were captured as the ISS orbited 259 miles above Earth in July. The Nile River was photographed from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above Earth. NASA The river was also visible by day, as the ISS soared above the Mediterranean Sea. The International Space Station above the Red Sea (right) and the Nile River (left) in September 2025. NASA An image shows the British Isles, upside down and brightly lit, with the northern coast of France in the background. The bright lights of London are visible from the International Space Station in September 2025. NASA Astronauts also captured multiple scenes across the US, from Phoenix… Phoenix, Arizona, from the International Space Station in May 2025. NASA … and the San Francisco Bay Area … A photo taken from the ISS shows California's San Francisco Bay Area surrounded by San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, and their suburbs in August 2025. NASA/Nichole Ayers … to the fields of Kansas. Fields in Great Bend, Kansas, pictured from the International Space Station in August 2025. NASA The Florida peninsula was captured in the early hours of a March morning ... The Florida peninsula and the eastern coast of the US from the ISS in March 2025. NASA … and during the day. Here, the tip of Florida is visible between Cuba and the Bahamas. Florida (center), Cuba (left), and the Bahamas (right) seen from the ISS in May 2025. NASA Astronauts were witnesses to disasters that wreaked havoc on American communities, such as the Los Angeles wildfires in January. NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared images of the Los Angeles fires from the International Space Station on January 10, 2025. NASA/Don Pettit Impending disasters were also visible from space, such as Typhoon Halong, which inflicted devastation on Western Alaska in October. The swirling clouds of Typhoon Halong near Japan, as captured by the ISS in October 2025. NASA They saw Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, before it battered the Caribbean. The eye of Hurricane Melissa seen from the ISS. NASA Source: Business Insider Cyclone Alfred lurked near the coast of Queensland, Australia, several days before it crossed the mainland. Cyclone Alfred seen from the ISS in March. NASA Pettit said witnessing life-changing events with such a wide field of view "really changes the perspective of what you see." Clouds illuminated by lightning during a storm off the coast of North Carolina in May 2025. NASA The incredible photos add to the more than 7 million images that astronauts have sent back from the ISS since the first crew docked in 2000. A Southeast Asian sunrise seen from the International Space Station in March 2025. NASA Source: Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth The photos are valuable for monitoring changes on Earth and for aiding in disaster response. Sunshine bounces of the Atlantic Ocean. as seen from the ISS, in March 2025. NASA In November, NASA celebrated 25 years of "continuous human presence" aboard the ISS. Operations are scheduled to end around 2030. The main solar arrays of the ISS look violet as it orbits above New Zealand in September 2025. NASA For now, astronauts' front-row seat to Earth gives us a new perspective on life on our planet. A waxing gibbous moon captured above Canada from the ISS in October 2025. NASA Read the original article on Business Insider