Star Trails: Long-exposure photos from space Pictures Star Trails: Long-exposure photos from space NASA astronaut Don Pettit took several long-exposure photographs while orbiting the Earth on Expedition 31, where he was a flight engineer. To capture the light trails Pettit took multiple 30-second exposures and combined them digitally to create images that resembled 10- to 15-minute exposures. The result of which show trails of several stars, auroras and thunderstorms across the surface of the Earth. Credit: NASA/Don Pettit