If you look at this picture for too long, you might start to hear the waves lapping up against the shore or feel a salty breeze in the air.
You might not have a trip to the Bahamas planned, but you can always enjoy its beauty in this spectacular summertime snapshot captured by NASA astronaut Chris Williams from aboard the International Space Station.
What is it?
In a snapshot that looks straight out of a travel commercial, we can see the crests of rippling waves of sand peeking out from beneath turquoise waters off the coast of the island Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
The moment was captured 263 miles (423 kilometers) above Earth‘s Atlantic Ocean from aboard the space station orbiting our planet.
This isn’t the first fun snapshot captured by Williams who also recently flexed his muscles for a photo mid-spacewalk.
Why is it incredible?
This photo is incredibly beautiful. That much is immediately obvious. And if you’ve ever swam in picturesque waters like this, then you know how calming and magical such places on Earth can be.
But this photo is more than just pretty, as it shows that we can see Earth’s beauty from 263 miles away. It is a reminder that our planet is truly special. Imagine if a future mission saw beauty like this from space on a far off exoplanet, or even a planet outside of our solar system. Currently, our planet is the only one we know of with views like this, but it’s possible that in the future we might find tropical shorelines and vacation vistas aren’t exclusive to our home planet.
