There is a feeling sometimes reported by astronauts when they see Earth from way up above, beyond the Kármán line: that the world is precious and fragile, and that we are all in this together. Former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield described it as a shift in perspective, saying, "You can't stay local when you've lived that global." It's called the Overview Effect, and it's reportedly beautiful and profound. [There's a short film about it here.]
It is probably a feeling that can't be replicated with a computer screen, but there's something deeply zen about watching the Earth roll by from space. We know this because the exterior of the ISS is equipped with four commercial, off-the-shelf high-definition cameras, which take turns streaming a live video feed of Earth for online viewing.
The purpose of the High Definition Earth Viewing [HDEV] experiment, live since April, isn't just beautiful space video, as wonderful as that is.
"The cameras are enclosed in a temperature specific housing and are exposed to the harsh radiation of space," NASA wrote. "Analysis of the effect of space on the video quality, over the time HDEV is operational, may help engineers decide which cameras are the best types to use on future missions."
The system is operated one camera at a time on an automated repeating cycle so that the video follows a location on Earth as the ISS passes over, all with no intervention from human operators. It also drops out relatively frequently due to loss of Ku-band transmission, and it goes completely dark while in the night sections.
If you're working away on a dual-monitor set-up, though, it's a lovely thing to have playing on your secondary screen in the background. You can check out the stream below, or visit the HDEV website, where you can also view a live feed of the ISS's position above the Earth.
Most of us will never have the chance to float about in the International Space Station and look down on the blue globe and swirling clouds of the Earth below. We mostly settle for stunning photographs. Soon, we'll be able to settle for near-real-time streaming video online.
Canadian company UrtheCast is installing two cameras on the ISS today. Once in operation, they will live-stream high-def footage of the Earth through UrtheCast's Web platform. Basic accounts for taking a peek at the views will be free. Users will also be able to access time-lapse compilations.
UrtheCast plans to broadcast satellite imagery and video for major Earth events and important locations. Account holders can even subscribe to favorite locations. For example, I could get a notice every time new shots of my home state, New Mexico, are logged.
The ISS circles around the planet 16 times each day. The cameras will constantly be on the job, generating up to 150 videos every day, each one about 90 seconds long.
While most people will be content as virtual sightseers, UrtheCast will also offer premium services. Those customers will have the opportunity to order footage from specific areas, request custom mosaic images, or even monitor remote locations.
UrtheCast's videos could quickly become one of the most mesmerizing ways to waste time on the Internet. Think of it as Earth TV, the greatest reality show ever created.
Formerly the site for the High Definition Earth-Viewing System [HDEV] : Operational: April 30, 2014 – End of Life: August 22, 2019.
See more information below.
Currently, live video of Earth is streaming from an external HD camera mounted on the ISS. The camera is looking toward Earth with an occasional solar panel passing through the view.
To learn more about the HDEV experiment, visit HDEV's experiment investigation page.
ISS Tracker
- Black = on the nighttime side of the Earth
- Gray = The ground support computer has stopped sending video to USTREAM [IBM Video] and will be reset shortly.
- Moving spots of light in the dark = lights on the surface of the Earth. This camera can see cities at night [if not cloudy]
- Non-moving spots in the image = damaged or bad pixels
After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!
The High Definition Earth Viewing [HDEV] experiment mounted on the ISS External Payload Facility of the European Space Agency’s Columbus module was activated April 30, 2014 and after 5 years and 79 days was viewed by more than 318 million viewers across the globe on USTREAM [now IBM Video] alone.
Click here to read the Final Report: High Definition Earth Viewing [HDEV].
[Requires a PDF reader.]
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As the HDEV feed is not usually recorded and publically archived, we suggest the use of open-source or commercially available screen recording software for capture of video segments.
For all questions regarding the current external camera or the former HDEV experiment, please contact Carlos Fontanot or Chris Getteau.
Looking for ISS Live? How to see the international space station in your sky tonight?Would you like to see the Earth from the International Space Station as astronauts see it? It is now possible to see Earth 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the live transmission of the Space Station's cameras.If you are a lover of space or astronomy, you will like ISS on Live.ISS on Live offers you ISS live, the transmission of images of the Earth from the International Space Station by Nasa. You will also be able to experience the day-to-day life of astronauts watching them work inside the ISS.This application integrates Google Maps to track the orbit of the ISS at all times and allows you to configure parameters such as the choice of different types of maps, satellite or terrain. It also shows telemetry information [speed, altitude, longitude, latitude], as well as the area of the country where the ISS is located. It also has a day/night map of the land with the limits of visibility from the ISS and the user. In the drawing of the orbits, the visible steps of the ISS are shown in yellow. All this can be customized from the configuration menu of the application.It has also been added to the Google Maps map the feature of "Map of clouds in the world" in Real Time. You will be able to add to the Google Maps map an extra layer for the visualization of the cloud map of the whole world. In this way you will be able to know the visibility status of the area of the Earth through which the ISS passes and observe it through the HD cameras of the ISS.Live video transmission available:
1.- ISS CAM 1 HD: provides HD High Definition images from our planet Earth.
2.- ISS CAM 2: provides views of our planet Earth and on-board cameras of the ISS Live as well as experiments, tests or maintenance and communications with the Nasa.
3.- Nasa TV Channel: NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] Television Service. You can watch STEM programs and documentaries.
4.- Nasa TV Media Channel: A secondary Nasa tv channel.
5.- ESA TV: European Space Agency Live channel. With Science and Exploration programming and documentaries.
And eventual channels like:✓ SpaceX Live Transmissions: SpaceX Crew Dragon launch events.
✓ Roscosmos TV: live when there is a Russian spacewalk.
You can also watch these channels live on your TV using Google Cast.
Would you like to see the International Space Station?
ISS on Live will inform you of the day and time of the International Space Station's visible night passage. Through a configurable alert you will be able to receive notifications of the following events:✓ Sunrise and sunset at ISS.
✓ Visible pass over your region: through the compass tool you will be able to know the exact place in the sky where the ISS will be visible to the naked eye and for how long.
✓ Day pass: observe your country through the live retransmission of the cameras of the International Space Station.
✓ ISS day pass in other countries: using the manual location tool, we will be able to know the ISS orbits over other regions of our interest and see their landscape through the cameras.
✓ Special events: arrival/departure of new crews [Soyuz, SpaceX Crew Dragon, Boeing CST-100 Starliner], spacewalks, launches [Falcon, SpaceX, Dragon, Progress, Cygnus, ATV, JAXA HTV Kounotori], dockings/undokings, experiments, communications with Earth from NASA and Roscosmos [Pockocmoc].
Twitter: @ISSonLive. News about ISS, NASA, ESA, Roscosmos and special events such as spacewalk broadcasts, spacecraft launches, hurricane and typhoon tracking.
Instagram: @issonliveapp. Selections of the best images and videos recorded by the astronauts of the ISS, NASA, ESA and with the ISS on Live app.