A bright light in the middle of a desert was spotted by European Space Agency astronauts as they peered out from the International Space Station.
Sharing several photos of the strange sight, the Italian space traveler noted how rare it is to see a bright spot in the daytime.
She was able to confirm that the light was coming from a tower after doing some research.
The sight was intriguing. There is a bright dot in the Negev desert. It's unusual to see human-made lights. One of the ways to get renewable energy from the sun is through a concentrated solar power plant. One of the world's tallest solar power towers.
Intriguing sight! A bright dot in the Negev desert…so unusual to see human-made lights in day passes! It’s a concentrated solar power plant, one of the technologies to get renewable energy from the Sun. With one of the world’s tallest solar power towers! #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/MFbCpXpxmG
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 25, 2022
The solar thermal power station has more than 50,000 computer-controlled mirrors and a 250-meter high solar power tower.
The mirrors reflect the sun's light onto a boiler at the top of the tower that powers a turbine. The plant is capable of generating enough energy to power tens of thousands of homes.
You can see a closer image of the plant on the map.
The picture was taken from the ground.
The Cupola module is where the astronauts like to go to take in the amazing views of Earth and beyond. Some people like to get one of the station's DSLR cameras to take pictures.
Thomas Pesquet went to great lengths to get the best shots he could during his time on the space station.
There is a recommended video.
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