Can you spot The Palm? Spectacular view of Dubai from International Space Station goes viral

The International Space Station recently flew over Dubai, and an astronaut onboard the ISS shared a stunning image of the city shining bright in the night sky.

Sparkling city lights show clear demarcations between different areas of the emirate, and the majestic Palm stands out amidst the dark sea.

Koichi Wakata, an astronaut from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, on the International Space Station, shared the stunning aerial image. Taking to Twitter, he posted the mesmerising photo with the caption: "We just flew over Dubai. Spectacular night view of the city from the ISS! Can you see the Palm Island?"

The 59-year-old (who is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions) is on his fifth space mission, a new record for a Japanese astronaut. He often shares images from space, giving the rest of us 'earthly beings' a peek into his out-of-this-world window view.

Soon after, Wakata also shared an image of the World Cup host nation Qatar as the space station flew over the country as well. The Japanese engineer cheered for his national team and wrote on Twitter, "Just passed over Qatar. We are rooting for the Japanese national soccer team in the final tournament from the International Space Station!"

Unfortunately, those dreams came to an end after Croatia beat Japan on penalties in a nail-biting Round of 16 match on Monday.

This is not the first time Wakata is sharing surreal imagery of UAE landmarks from his unbeatable perch in outer space. In October this year, he shared photos of "the beautiful coast of the UAE", showing the man-made Palm-shaped islands and World Islands off Dubai, and Abu Dhabi city.

ALSO READ:

• Look: 3 Chinese astronauts return to Earth after 6 months constructing Tiangong space station

• Japanese billionaire to make ‘big announcement’ on space after meeting Musk

• UAE: Collaboration is key when it comes to space diplomacy, say experts

• UAE
• Dubai