The view of Earth from space is a sight that’s historically been reserved for a select few. So far, just a handful of specially trained astronauts and billionaires have been able to watch the Earth from outer space, but now a new camera rig onboard the International Space Station is hoping to change that.
A European company called Sen has sent an ultra high definition camera rig up to the ISS that will let anyone and everyone witness the majesty of our little planet. The camera system, called SpaceTV-1, was sent up to the ISS late last year and is now fully installed and streaming, reports Space.com.
The system was installed on the side of the European Space Agency’s Columbus module on the ISS. From there, the rig of 4K cameras is livestreaming the view of Earth for around 20 hours a day, save for a few moments of signal loss and the times when the Earth below is in darkness.
It really is quite the site to behold, as the livestream shows off everything the Earth has to offer. There are long sweeping shots of endless blue oceans, pristine greens of the Caribbean islands and even the clouds above the UK look majestic when seen from above. When the sun sets on the ISS, the stream switches to recorded highlights of the Earth that, while I’ve been watching, has included some pretty stunning views of desert landscapes.
The stream is a great way to clear your head if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the day so far, as there are no depressing stories about the lack of support for minorities, the ridiculous number of cars driving in America with safety issues or the endless cuts to emissions rules that could save this very planet. January, hey.
Making overwhelmed millennials less concerned about the state of the world wasn’t the only aim for the Sen team, however, and it’s actually got much more noble ambitions. The company is all about offering up research data to people who may not normally have access, so it’s fleet of satellites and cameras in space beam climate and environment data to researchers around the world.
The new SpaceTV-1 camera setup is about furthering that goal and company founder Charles Black said that the footage collected could “empower everyone with real-time information” and could even “inspire people.”
To do this, it uses an array of three 4K cameras pointed down at the Earth. One features a wide angle lens that offers a panoramic view of our planet and its horizon – presumably to put any flat-Earthers off arguing. A second camera is pointed directly at the ground, and each pixel you see on the screen represents an area of about 200 feet. Finally, there’s a camera pointed at one of the docking ports on the ISS.
If you want to calm your nerves by watching the Earth roll away beneath you, then I highly recommend heading here to watch the Sen stream. It’s even more calming if you put on some José González while you watch.