This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 3, 2012 from 15:01:30 to 15:08:17 GMT, on a pass from the South Atlantic Ocean to western Iran, just west of the Caspian Sea. The first half of the video is over the Atlantic Ocean, with various cloud patterns seen over the water. As the ISS travels northeast toward the Gulf of Guinea near Africa, the video transitions from the greener parts of central Africa to the clay-colored sands of the desert in northern Africa. The pass continues over the Nile River, which can be distinguished easily from the sand dunes because of its lush green color (click here to read more about the Great Bend of the Nile). The pass ends over western Iran. Compiled from frames ISS030-E-34612 to ISS030-E-34989 Credit: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." eol.jsc.nasa.gov
