The International Space Station streaks through the night sky over Pisa, Italy, as the bright blue Pleiades star cluster glitters in the background in this amazing photo recently submitted to Space.com.
Amateur astronomer Giuseppe Petricca took this image of thePleiades star cluster, which is also known as M45. It is an open star cluster formed about 100 million years ago and its brightest stars glow a hot blue color. Scientists estimate the young, recently formed stars in the cluster will burn out quickly, likely in the next 200 million years.
"It's always a waypoint in the winter skies, opening the way from Perseus to Orion," photographer Petricca said of Pleiades in an email to Space.com. "But, yesterday, above Pisa, Italy, the International Space Station made a beautiful passage, and it crossed next to the cluster." [See more amazing February night sky photos by stargazers]
The Pleiades clusteris a group of 800 stars located in the constellation Taurus, about 410 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).
To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by Space.com readers, visit ourastrophotography archive.
Editor's note:If you have an amazingnight skyphoto you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik atspacephotos@space.com.
Follow Space.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook&Google+. Original story on Space.com.
Star Quiz: Test Your Stellar Smarts
Though they look serene and silent from our vantage on Earth, stars are actually roiling balls of violent plasma. Test your stellar smarts with this quiz.
0 of 10 questions complete
The rest is here:
Space Station Streaks Across Pleiades Star Cluster in Striking Amateur Photo
- Space Shuttle STS-118 Endeavour Space Station Assembly ISS-13A.1 S5 Truss 2007 NASA - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Hurricane Isaac Spied By International Space Station | Video - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Raw Video: Space Station View of Isaac - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Station Crew Member Discusses Life in Space with Japanese Media (English Translated Version) - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Station Crew Discusses Life in Space With Social Media Followers - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Earth Illuminated: ISS Time-lapse Photography - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- LIVE From The International Space Station 1080i Full HD - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- ISS Progress 47 Re-docks to Space Station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- FreeOK2 - Seth Andrews "Scrabble on the Space Station" - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Raw Video: International Space Station at Night - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Cargo Ship Undocks From Space Station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Mission Highlights: SpaceX's Dragon Makes History - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Soyuz Launches to Space Station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- [ISS] Manned Soyuz TMA-03M Departs Space Station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- China's space station dream one step closer - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Space Station Live! Tour - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- SpaceX Dragon Capsule Hatch Opening from International Space Station (ISS) HD 5/26/2012 - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- Space Station Crew Welcomes World's First Commercial Cargo Craft - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- SpaceX capsule docks with space station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- [SpaceX] Dragon Berthed to Space Station - Video [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2012]
- How a toothbrush helped fix the space station [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2012]
- MacGyver in space? Astronauts fix space station with toothbrush. (+video) [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2012]
- MacGyver in space? Astronauts fix space station with toothbrush. [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2012]
- MacGuyver in space? Astronauts fix space station with toothbrush. [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2012]
- Space station's toothbrush fix; astronaut breaks spacewalk record [Last Updated On: September 8th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 8th, 2012]
- Astronauts repair space station with help of toothbrush [Last Updated On: September 9th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 9th, 2012]
- Space Station fixed with $3 toothbrush [Last Updated On: September 9th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 9th, 2012]
- Global student space experiments transformed [Last Updated On: September 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 11th, 2012]
- Student Biology Investigations Stream Live On YouTube Space Lab [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2012]
- Japanese cargo ship leaves space station [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2012]
- YouTube Space Lab: Bill Nye, contest winners, share results as streamed from space [Last Updated On: September 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 13th, 2012]
- LIVE from the Space Station: Gotta-See Video [Last Updated On: September 13th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 13th, 2012]
- Making music in outer space [Last Updated On: September 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 14th, 2012]
- Space Station Spin-Off Could Protect Mars-Bound Astronauts From Radiation [Last Updated On: September 14th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 14th, 2012]
- Female astronaut takes command of space station [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2012]
- 3 space station astronauts return to Earth tonight [Last Updated On: September 16th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 16th, 2012]
- Soyuz brings three station fliers home to pinpoint landing [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2012]
- International Space Station Astronauts Land Safely in Kazakhstan [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2012]
- Space Station 'nauts touch down on Kazakh steppe [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2012]
- International Space Station: Formal handover of power - Video [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2012]
- NASA astronaut Sunita Williams completes first-ever space triathalon [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2012]
- Astronauts Return From Space Station, As An American Takes Command [Last Updated On: September 18th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 18th, 2012]
- Photos: Space Station's Expedition 33 Mission [Last Updated On: September 19th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 19th, 2012]
- New, Compact Body Scanner Ready for Space Station [Last Updated On: September 20th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 20th, 2012]
- SpaceX launch to space station is Oct. 7 [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2012]
- NASA: Dragon prepared for space flight [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2012]
- SpaceX, NASA target Oct. 7 launch for resupply mission to International Space Station [Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 22nd, 2012]
- Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield launch to space station pushed back two weeks [Last Updated On: September 25th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 25th, 2012]
- Computer glitch delays space station undocking [Last Updated On: September 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 26th, 2012]
- Space station at risk of debris hit [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2012]
- Orbital debris sets off space station alert [Last Updated On: September 27th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 27th, 2012]
- Space station on alert [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2012]
- NASA offers opportunity to use communications testbed on space station [Last Updated On: September 28th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 28th, 2012]
- Back-to-back near-misses on space station [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2012]
- Huge cargo ship undocks from space station [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2012]
- Russians face up to their space crisis [Last Updated On: September 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: September 29th, 2012]
- Private SpaceX Rocket Test-Fires Engines for Space Station Trip [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2012]
- NASA Plan to Build Space Station Beyond the Moon Criticized [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2012]
- New Private Rocket Arrives at Virginia Launch Pad for Tests [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2012]
- Singer Sarah Brightman Outbids NASA for Space Tourist's Seat [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- Space station in no need to move to avoid debris [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- NASA considering deep-space station on moon [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- NASA Mulls Deep-Space Station on Moon's Far Side [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- Space Station to Move to Avoid Debris [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- 1st Year-Long Space Station Mission May Launch in 2015: Reports [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- Space Tourist Outbids NASA for Flight [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- International Space Station safe from orbiting space debris [Last Updated On: October 3rd, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 3rd, 2012]
- SpaceX encore: 2nd private space station shipment [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- How 'The Big Bang Theory' Sent Howard Wolowitz to Space [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- Space Station-Bound SpaceX Dragon Capsule Gets Mission Patch [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- SpaceX plans historic flight to International Space Station Sunday [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- How 'Big Bang's' Howard flew to space [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- Canada unveils two new space 'Canadarms' [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- How SpaceX Will Keep the Space Station in Business [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- Canada Unveils Next-Generation Robotic Arms for Spaceships [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- Space station-bound SpaceX rocket to launch Sunday [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2012]
- SpaceX set for its first cargo run to space station [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2012]
- One Year In Space: US-Russian Crew Launching Audacious Spaceflight in 2015 [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2012]
- SpaceX ready to resupply space station [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2012]
- Private space station delivery to launch Sunday [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2012] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2012]
