A stunning photograph taken from orbit has gone viral online, revealing Mecca’s Kaaba glowing like a luminous point from 400 kilometers above Earth.
The image, captured from the International Space Station (ISS), highlights Islam’s holiest site as a radiant center within the city.
Nasa astronaut Don Pettit, who has just returned from his ISS mission, posted the photo on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Orbital views of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The bright spot in the center is the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, visible even from space”.
Pettit, known for his artistic approach to space imagery during his fourth stint on the station, shot the picture using a high-resolution Nikon camera through the ISS cupola window.