Today, June 5^th, astronomers and space enthusiasts will be able to experience the transit of Venus, a rare planetary alignment that helped scientists map out our solar system many years ago. The second since 2004, the phenomenon won’t occur again until December 2117.

For centuries, astronomers have studied the transit with the goal of estimating the distance between Earth and the sun. Explorers competed for viewing locations, and watched the Venus crossed the sun over a six hour period.

Modern technology has allowed scientists to reach more accurate readings of the distance between our world and the sun, as well as the other planets in our solar system, but the transit of Venus remains an iconic event in astronomic development. The occurrence also aids astronomers in their search for other planets outside our solar system today.

The International Space Station, or ISS, recently celebrated a decade of human occupation. Traveling 220 miles above the surface of the earth, the ISS constantly photographs earth as it flies overhead and posts the images on The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth on the internet.

Science teacher James Drake spliced together more than 600 of these photos to create a video of the ISS traveling around the world in one minute. Starting at the Pacific Ocean, the film moves over North and South America before reaching Antarctica in daylight. Major cities and landmarks are clearly visible, including Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Guetemala, Panama, Peru, the Amazon and more. Also visible are lightning storms over the Pacific Ocean, as well as Earth’s ionosphere- the thin yellow line seen surrounding the planet.

For the full video, click here.