Archive · 20 Aug 2026
NASA Astronaut Captures Maha Kumbh Mela From Space
NASA astronaut Don Pettit took a photograph of the Maha Kumbh Mela from space.
He was aboard the International Space Station, about 400 kilometres above Earth.
The picture shows Prayagraj shining brightly at night.
Millions of lights from tents, roads, and cultural displays made the area look like a glowing city.
The festival is a very large pilgrimage held once every 12 years.
Many people visit to bathe in the holy rivers.
Pettit said the gathering was the largest human gathering in the world and was well lit.
People online praised the unusual view of the event from space.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit photographed Prayagraj from the International Space Station, about 400 kilometres above Earth.
The nighttime image shows the brightly lit Maha Kumbh Mela tent city and riverbanks.
Pettit called it his “best shot” of the event and said the gathering was well lit.
The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place in Prayagraj once every 12 years and attracts tens of millions of people.
The photograph spread across social media, drawing praise from space enthusiasts and spiritual seekers.
- Who
- NASA astronaut Don Pettit photographed the event from the International Space Station.
- What
- He captured a nighttime image showing the vast, brightly lit Maha Kumbh Mela gathering.
- When
- During the Maha Kumbh Mela; the articles do not provide an exact date.
- Where
- Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, as viewed from the International Space Station about 400 kilometres above Earth.
- Why
- Pettit aimed to document the scale and nighttime appearance of the pilgrimage from orbit.
- Photographer
- Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut and chemical engineer
- Location photographed
- Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh
- Viewing platform
- International Space Station
- Approximate altitude
- 400 kilometres above Earth
- Festival frequency
- Once every 12 years
- Visual features
- Millions of floodlights, streetlamps, cultural installations, and a large tent city
- Pilgrimage site
- Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers