ISS astronaut spies a swirling super storm | Space photo of the day for Aug. 4, 2026
From the International Space Station on Aug. 2, 2026, NASA astronaut Anil Menon captured an incredible photograph of a swirling typhoon in the Pacific Ocean.
On August 2, 2026, NASA astronaut Anil Menon captured an awe-inspiring image of a powerful typhoon in the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station (ISS). The photograph, taken through the six-windowed cupola of the space station, showcases the massive swirling storm known as Super Typhoon Dolphin, which had reached category 5 status at the time of the capture.
Menon, using his iPhone, managed to photograph the storm from the unique vantage point of the ISS, demonstrating the remarkable advancements in astronaut photography capabilities. The storm, however, has since weakened to a category 3 and is expected to further downgrade to a category 1 or 2 as it moves towards Japan's Okinawa island.
The photograph not only serves as a testament to the power of nature but also highlights the incredible advancements in astronaut photography, with astronauts now able to capture stunning images using their smartphone cameras from the ISS. The ISS, a football-field-sized orbital laboratory housing seven astronauts, orbits Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers/hour), providing a unique perspective on our planet and enabling countless scientific experiments in microgravity.
The station, which has been continuously occupied since 2000, is set to be retired and crash into the Pacific Ocean around 2030.
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