International Space Station - Stunning High Resolution Photo

This image is so amazing that it appears to be fake. But it is straight off the NASA government website and I don't think they are in the business of photoshoping their photos. This image is very high resolution so you might want to zoom in on the full size.

Backdropped by New Zealand and Cook Strait in the Pacific Ocean, astronaut Robert L. Curbeam Jr. (left) and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Christer Fuglesang, both STS-116 mission specialists, participate in the mission's first of three planned sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction continues on the International Space Station. Cook Strait divides New Zealand's North and South Islands.

Here is a link to the full size space station image.

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Comment by haly on December 5, 2008 at 9:57pm: good picture

Comment by Ryan Dinan on October 23, 2008 at 1:35pm: Hi Masey,

This photo is not a fake. The "black keyline" you refer to is actually a post-processing sharpening effect, likely caused by the way the camera's sensor handles abrupt transitions from light to dark. Plus, we're looking at a jpeg compressed version, which will amplify this effect. It happens all the time, especially with digital equipment.
As for the shadows; The sun's position is actually nearly directly in front, up and to the right of the astronaut, as indicated by the bright sun spot on his visor. There is one other obvious source of light besides the sun, and that is the reflected light from the Earth itself - the shadows line up perfectly. You can also look at the shadows cast by the clouds - looks to be a little past noon in the New Zealand area when this was taken.
The other obvious clue why this is not a fake is - well... it just doesn't need to be. We have the ISS up there, and there are astronauts doing work on it... This is indeed a genuine photo.