Mount Everest is somewhere in this image snapped from the International Space Station.
NASA/Mark Vande Hei
Astronauts on the International Space Station like to give themselves photography challenges, whether it’s snapping the pyramids in Egypt or the Great Wall of China. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei has been trying to capture Mount Everest in the Himalayas, and he finally did it.
On Tuesday, Vande Hei tweeted two images and issued a challenge: “After trying many many times, I was finally able to find Mt. Everest from the space station. Can you find it in these photos?”
Mount Everest may be legendarily large on the ground on Earth, but it’s easy for it to disappear into the broader landscape when you’re traveling at 17,000 mph (27,400 km/h) in orbit and trying to train a camera at just the right spot below.
I’ll be honest. I’m not sure I can find Mount Everest in Vande Hei’s images. I checked out Google Maps, looked at aerial images of the mountain and tried to track it down in the photos, but there are a lot snow-capped peaks to pick from.
If you did better than me, then congratulations. If you’re still searching, then check out the replies in the Twitter thread where keen-eyed space fans have pointed out the peak and shared some additional space shots of the mountain.