Look: It’s Burj Khalifa at night from space

Dubai: NASA astronaut Donald Roy Pettit has shared a breathtaking photo of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building in Dubai, from the vantage point of the International Space Station (ISS).

Pettit posted the spectacular night-time image of Burj Khalifa glowing distinctly amidst the illuminated cityscape of Dubai.

The striking photograph shared on Pettit’s X account has captured Downtown Dubai from the lower Earth orbit. The Burj Khalifa stands out prominently, its facade emitting a radiant silver hue, visibly caused by the building’s distinctive facade, making it one of the visible landmarks from space.

Reposted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, the image, which had been posted on Sunday evening, was viewed more than 115,000 times by Monday afternoon.

Pettit’s extraordinary photography shows how human-made marvels like Burj Khalifa can stand out even from over 400km above the planet. He has also shared a larger image showing the night view of Dubai’s city lights.

Seventy-year-old Pettit is an experienced American astronaut and chemical engineer best known for his orbital astrophotography. Since being selected by NASA in 1996, he has logged over 500 days in space across multiple ISS missions including his current mission Expedition 72 and conducted more than 13 hours of spacewalks. Beyond his scientific work, Pettit has a passion for space photography, often capturing stunning images of Earth’s landscapes, auroras, and city lights.

Pettit’s Burj Khalifa space image comes shortly after NASA’s recent photograph of Dubai’s dazzling city lights captured from space, which was released by the Dubai Government Media Office last week.

The aerial image highlighted Dubai’s urban brilliance with major roads and highways forming a glowing web of connectivity. The emirate’s strategic coastline and artificial islands also stood out vividly.