As the world prepares to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) will witness multiple countdowns to welcome New Year 2024.
Owing to high velocity and continuous orbit around Earth, the crew of the ISS will see around 16 sunrises and sunsets within 24 hours.
It is pertinent to mention that the ISS, with its speed of around 28,000 kilometres per hour, completes an orbit around Earth every 90 minutes, meaning that the astronauts will welcome the New Year multiple times as they pass over different time zones.
It is common for the crew of the ISS to experience numerous day-night cycles within a single Earth Day as astronauts deal with 45 minutes of daylight before plunging into another 45 minutes of darkness.
The cycle is repeated 16 times in a single day resulting in a total of 16 sunrises and sunsets.
The Pakistani government has banned all New Year’s celebrations to show solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar on December announced a complete ban on all New Year’s celebrations in the country in a special video message.
