Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Shubhanshu Shukla’s Diwali Night Video Shows India Gleaming From Space

The throwback clip from his 18-day space station mission is drawing millions of views on X.

Overview

  • He filmed the footage from the space station’s observation module during his 18-day orbital mission earlier this year.
  • The pass sweeps from the sunlit southwest to the misty northeast, with city lights visible over Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and a faint gleam from New Delhi.
  • Shukla highlights lightning over the Bay of Bengal and central India, describing the flashes as “purple flares” and “nature’s own pyrotechnics.”
  • Farther north, bright plains cede to the dark silhouettes of the Himalayas before an orbital sunrise washes the upper atmosphere in soft blue.
  • His caption calls it “Diwali of Earth,” and the video has gone viral on social media with widespread pickup by mainstream outlets.