Watch the Earth from the ISS observatory in a 4K 360 video

By Steve Dent From engadget

The best seat in the house.

International Space Station (ISS) crew work pretty hard, but when they do get time off, they often head to the “Cupola,” according to Andrey Borisenko. The Russian cosmonaut shows us what it’s like to hang around the space station’s observational dome, thanks to a new 360 degree, 4K video from Russia’s RT News. He dryly mocks flat-Earth types, saying “you can see from here that the Earth is round — no elephants or whales holding it up.

The Cupola was built in 2010 to give astronauts and cosmonauts the best view to operate the Mobile Servicing System robotic arm (the Canadarm2). However, it soon became a favorite R&R spot thanks to the spectacular view through the seven bay windows. Avid photographers including Chris Hadfield and Reid Wiseman snapped their best shots from the Cupola. Astronaut Sunita Williams says she likes to play “guess where you are” from there using cloud formations and geological features.

Borisenko says “this is the place where any astronaut or cosmonaut that visits the ISS wants to spend all their free time … though actually, there isn’t really that much free time here.” When he does, he’s often in a rapture just watching our home planet fly by. “No matter how many more planets we discover, the Earth will always be the most beautiful.”

Check it out at link below (hint: spin the camera towards the Earth after the 1:25 mark or so), or for the best effect, doff your VR headset.

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