NASA reveals image of the UK, taken by astronauts

The UK from space (Image: PA)

It’s a view that only a few people will see in their lifetime, but now astronauts have given us a glimpse of the view of Earth from space.

NASA has revealed an image of the UK, taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station(ISS) on February 26.

When the image was taken, the ISS’s altitude was 214 nautical miles away from Earth.

For comparison, this is around the same distance it takes to drive from central London to Manchester by car via the M40!

A Nikon D5 was used to snap the shot, with a 17-35mm zoom lens, looking through a window of the International Space Station over the sea between Wales and Ireland.

Last year, the International Space Station celebrated 20 years since it was first launched, though the first batch of long-term residents did not arrive until two years later in November 2000.

In its lifetime, the station has been home to 236 astronauts.

This includes British ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Major Tim Peake, who was an inhabitant from December 15, 2015 until June 18, 2016.