I’ve always wondered why stars seem absent during docking and undocking procedures at the International Space Station. Just the other day, on March 18, 2025, while watching the astronauts undock for their return, I noticed the background was completely devoid of stars. This isn’t the first time I’ve observed this phenomenon. Can anyone explain why this happens? What’s going on?
That’s a great observation! The reason you don’t see stars in footage from the International Space Station (ISS) during docking and undocking events mainly has to do with camera exposure settings.
When filming in space, especially in brightly lit environments like the ISS, cameras are set to a fast exposure to properly capture the action and avoid overexposure from the bright lights on the station. Since stars are much dimmer compared to the artificial lights on the ISS, they don’t register in the footage. To see stars, a camera would need a longer exposure time, which isn’t practical during live events where quick movements and clear visuals are essential.
Additionally, the high speed of the ISS and the rapid movements during docking can also contribute to the lack of visible stars. So it’s not that there aren’t any stars out there; it’s just the way the camera settings work in those scenarios.