An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. Perth is located along Australia’s Indian Ocean coastline and is divided by the Swan and Canning rivers. This photo shows how the metropolitan area overlies the river basin, with arms stretching along the riverbanks toward Fremantle Harbour. Angular patterns of agricultural fields (bottom of the image) contrast with the urban cityscape spanning most of the image.
The land surface of Perth is a mixture of residential houses colored by pinkish-red roofs and commercial or industrial areas indicated by light-colored roofs. Perth is Australia’s fourth largest metropolitan area by population and is the only city along its western coastline with more than 1 million people. Perth Airport is one of the busiest airports in the country and is a hub for both passenger and air freight transit. The city’s central business district and the state’s Parliament House are situated near the intersection of the Swan and Canning rivers.
Fremantle Harbour is located at the mouth of the Swan River. The port handles a variety of goods entering and exiting the country, including grains, petroleum, and agricultural fertilizers. The surrounding municipality of Fremantle is historically significant as one of the oldest European settlements within Perth. It is known for its rich architectural history, with several of its original limestone-walled buildings still standing.
Within the urban landscape, the dark green color of wetland and brushland ecosystems stands out. Bold Park and Kings Park are located between the northern banks of the Swan River and the Indian Ocean. These native landscapes provide habitat for land animals and migratory birds, including the splendid fairy-wren and the black-striped snake. In southern Perth, Beeliar Park is comprised of wetlands and seasonal freshwater lakes that typically dry up during the summer months. Thomsons Lake, located at the southern extent of Beeliar Park, was designated a Ramsar wetland area due to its importance as a bird refuge and mating ground for endangered species such as the Australasian bittern.
Astronaut photograph ISS071-E-615058 was acquired on September 9, 2024, with a Nikon Z9 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 71 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Cadan Cummings, Amentum, JETS II Contract at NASA-JSC.
