A dense blanket of smoke and ash that threatens a nature reserve: this is one of the most impressive photos of the Australian fires taken in the last hours by Luca Parmitano, the astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) who aboard the International Space Station (Iss) is confronting his crewmates on the "terrifying" extent of the disaster, as AstroLuca himself says on Twitter.
Australia fires: lives, hopes, dreams in ashes. pic.twitter.com/UeliRTEA4f
- Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) January 12, 2020#MissionBeyond https://t.co/blNkOHdi8B pic.twitter.com/d0T98iTiUv
- Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) January 13, 2020
He published the first shots on January 12, accompanying the photos with a bitter comment: "Fires in Australia: lives, hopes, dreams in ashes". Four other images, if possible even more frightening, he then published on January 13, writing: "An immense ash cloud covers Australia as we fly towards sunset".
An immense ash cloud covers Australia as we fly toward the sunset.
An immense ash cloud covers Australia as we fly into the sunset. # MissionBeyond pic.twitter.com/9Bmm9s4xa1
One photo, in particular, stands out in all its drama: Parmitano took it from orbit while the Space Station flew over Fraser Range, in Western Australia, near the Dundas nature reserve. "Talking to my crewmates, we realized that none of us have ever seen such terrifying fires," admitted AstroLuca on his social profile, getting dozens of messages worried by followers in response.
