Astronaut shares breathtaking image of Maha Kumbh 2025 taken from space

Nasa astronaut Don Pettit shared his best image of the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela from the International Space Station. The photograph shows the vast illuminated footprint of the pilgrimage across Prayagraj.The photograph of Maha Kumbh 2025 was shared by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit. (Photo: X/@@astro_Pettit)A breathtaking image of the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, captured from the International Space Station, has offered a rare view of one of the world's largest human gatherings from hundreds of kilometres above Earth.The photograph was shared by Nasa astronaut Don Pettit, who called it his “best shot” of the 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela from the International Space Station.His most recent spaceflight was a 220-day mission aboard the International Space Station, which concluded with his return to Earth on April 19, 2025. “My best shot of the 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela from ISS,” Pettit said while sharing the image.Seen from space, the image shows a dazzling cluster of lights spread across the landscape around Prayagraj. Roads, temporary settlements and illuminated areas stand out against the darkness of the surrounding region, revealing the enormous scale of the gathering. Pettit described the Maha Kumbh as a once-in-144-years Hindu pilgrimage to the sacred riverbanks of India and one of the largest events in the world.The Maha Kumbh is held at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, known as the Triveni Sangam. Millions of devotees gather at the site to take part in ritual bathing, which is considered spiritually significant in Hindu tradition. Maha Kumbh seen from space. (Photo: Nasa) The 2025 gathering transformed Prayagraj into a vast temporary city, with extensive networks of roads, camps, lights and facilities created to accommodate the enormous number of pilgrims.From the ground, the scale of the Maha Kumbh can be difficult to comprehend. But Pettit’s image provides a dramatically different perspective.The bright concentration of lights in the image reveals just how much the landscape of Prayagraj changed during the event. What appears from space as a glowing network is, on the ground, a vast gathering of millions of people, temporary settlements and infrastructure built around the sacred rivers.For astronauts aboard the International Space Station, Earth often appears as a collection of glowing cities, coastlines and weather systems. But this image captured something different, a temporary human gathering so vast that its illuminated footprint could be seen from orbit.Pettit’s photograph is not just a striking view of India from space. It also shows the extraordinary scale of the Maha Kumbh, where faith, tradition and millions of people came together in a spectacle visible even from hundreds of kilometres above the planet.- EndsPublished By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Aug 20, 2026 13:05 IST