Now Reading: NASA astronaut shares Maha Kumbh photo from space
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NASA astronaut shares Maha Kumbh photo from space
The Story in Brief
NASA astronaut Donald Pettit has shared a photograph of the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj taken from the International Space Station, calling it his best shot of the religious gathering. The image shows the city and the area around the Ganges lit up at night against the dark expanse of space, highlighting the scale of the congregation as seen from orbit.
Pettit, 71, is part of NASA's Expedition 72 mission aboard the ISS. He posted the image on X, describing the Maha Kumbh as a once-in-144-year Hindu pilgrimage and one of the largest events in the world, with millions of people visible in the single photo. The 45-day gathering, held from January 13 to February 26, recorded hundreds of millions of visits for ritual bathing at the Triveni Sangam.
Indian Opinion Analysis
A view from the ISS puts the Maha Kumbh's scale in a context no ground image can. The 2025 edition was tied to a rare planetary alignment that occurs once every 144 years, drawing far larger crowds than the usual 12-year Kumbh. The temporary city that housed pilgrims across 4,000 hectares was reportedly visible as a distinct glow from orbit. For perspective, the last comparable celestial alignment was in 1881, before electric lighting. The next such Maha Kumbh will not occur until 2169, making these images a unique record of human organisation on an unprecedented scale.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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