View of the SSRMS / Canadarm2 during Expedition Six

ISS006-E-21378 (18 January 2003) --- A portion of the Canadarm2, or Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), was photographed by one of the Expedition 6 crewmembers onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Just above Canadarm2’s elbow are the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. These seven stars, arranged like a little dipper, are just the brightest members of a cluster of more than 3000 stars lying 400 light years from Earth. Between the robotic arm and the Pleiades is Earth itself. Below, the cloudy landscape is lit by a nearly-full Moon (out of frame). Above, the edge of Earth’s atmosphere is defined by a layer of glowing air—a brownish-yellow band of light stretching all the way across the image. And finally, just under Canadarm’s elbow, is a streak of green—the Aurora Borealis, also known as “northern lights”.