'The peninsula glow like a jewel' Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla captures India's Diwali lights from space

Highlights:

• Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla shared a stunning video of India lit up during Diwali as seen from space.
• The clip captures India’s glowing cities, including Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and New Delhi.
• Shukla described the sight as “like watching a living galaxy unfurl beneath you.”
• The video also shows natural lightning across India, which Shukla called “nature’s own pyrotechnics.”
• His reflection, “This isn’t just Diwali on Earth, it’s Diwali of Earth,” moved millions worldwide.

In a spectacular Diwali tribute, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has shared a mesmerizing video of India glowing under the festival lights as seen from space during his orbital mission earlier this year. The clip, posted on X (formerly Twitter), quickly went viral, drawing admiration from millions back on Earth.

Captured from the space station's observation module, the footage sweeps across the Indian subcontinent from the sunlit southwest to the misty northeast, revealing the dazzling glow of cities celebrating Diwali.

In his post, Shukla fondly known as 'Shux' described the view in poetic terms: “Flying over India from space — from the sunlit southwest to the misty northeast — is like watching a living galaxy unfurl beneath you.” On his 18-day-long mission, Shukla marveled at how the country’s radiance stood out even from hundreds of kilometers above Earth. “The peninsula glows like a jewel,” he wrote, adding, “Pune sparkles; Bengaluru and Hyderabad shimmer like constellations drawn by human hands.”

As the video pans toward northern India, faint glimmers begin to appear on the horizon, capturing the national capital as well. “And far on the horizon, a faint yet familiar gleam, New Delhi makes its presence known,” he noted. Beyond human-made brilliance, the video also captures flashes of lightning streaking across the Bay of Bengal and central India—“purple flares,” as Shukla called them, “nature’s own pyrotechnics reminding you who the original artist of light truly is.”

As the spacecraft moves northward, the bright plains fade into the dark outlines of the Himalayas before the orbital sunrise paints the upper atmosphere in soft shades of blue. Shukla concluded his post with a profound reflection that moved many: “This isn’t just Diwali on Earth; it’s Diwali of Earth. The festival of lights, written across an entire nation, glowing proudly on a cosmic stage.”

For millions watching from below, Shukla’s words and video offered a new perspective on Diwal, one that transcends borders and reaches into space, celebrating India’s brilliance as seen from the heavens.