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A piece of unidentified space debris is pictured from the International Space Station
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A piece of unidentified space debris is pictured from the International Space Station

iss074e0540224 (April 27, 2026) --- A piece of unidentified space debris is pictured from the International Space Station as it reenters Earth's atmosphere and burns up over Africa. NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured the remarkable event and shared the imagery on his Instagram page @astro_chrisw. "On April 27th at about 10:40 PM GMT, I was in the @iss Cupola and saw something really neat. I was scanning the sky to try to catch a glimpse of the approaching Progress MS-34 vehicle bringing new supplies. Just as we were passing over West Africa, I saw a bright object directly below us, streaking through the upper atmosphere. I saw its tail grow and then split apart into a shower of smaller pieces. I think it must have been some piece of orbital debris or a satellite breaking up as it entered the atmosphere. It was quite a light show!" Credit: NASA/Chris Williams

Date
2026-04-27
Collection
JSC
Archive
NASA Image and Video Library
Type
photograph

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"A piece of unidentified space debris is pictured from the International Space Station" (2026-04-27). NASA/JSC. Public domain. https://images.nasa.gov/details/iss074e0540224

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