What lies behind the bright spot seen from the International Space Station

a look astronauts at night from IS On the a land, often opens up a wonderful sight for them. pictures of Northern lights It’s already included too Street lights that match the stars. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti He has now spotted a strange, glowing spot in the Israeli Negev desert in broad daylight.

The astronaut, speaking of a “wonderful sight,” writes that it is unusual to see man-made lights from the International Space Station during the day. On Twitter, she explained what it’s all about:

The bright glowing point is a Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Plantwhich has the tallest solar tower in the world, and 240 meters measures. From an aerial view of the operators, taken from a much closer distance, the power plant looks like this:

Thousands of solar mirrors have been installed over an area of ​​3 square kilometers to focus the light. This is not only 120 thousand families electrified SubmittedThe light is also strong enough to be seen from the International Space Station.