NASA astronaut eyes up this amazing composition of the eye of a super typhoon from space

In February, NASA permitted astronauts to bring their personal camera phones on space missions. This led to a flood of impressive images, particularly those taken in portrait orientation. One such image was captured by flight engineer Anil Menon during NASA Expedition 75, showcasing a striking perspective of Super Typhoon Dolphin's eye as it roiled above the Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Menon, though not a professional photographer, demonstrated a keen understanding of visual composition, dedicating the upper half of the frame to the typhoon and nearly the entire lower half to the International Space Station (ISS). A narrow strip of deep space separated these elements, providing visual breathing room while enhancing the image's awe-inspiring quality.

The vertical framing of the photograph proved particularly effective, suggesting that a landscape orientation might have yielded a similarly compelling result. Menon, who launched into space on July 14, 2026, is scheduled to remain aboard the ISS until spring 2027. His research during this tenure will focus on bioprinting human tissues and cells, as well as utilizing artificial intelligence for crew health monitoring.

He is joined by European Space Agency astronauts, including Sophie Adenot, a fellow photography enthusiast with an impressive portfolio of space images. Menon has been actively sharing his space experiences on social media, often in portrait format, which has drawn particular attention. While many of his posts are in landscape mode, it is the vertical frames that tend to stand out.