US astronaut records spectacular night view of sky

A US astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has captured a breathtaking view of the night sky.

Commander Terry Virts, who has been aboard the station since November, posted a video on his Twitter account showing the surreal view from aboard ISS as it hurtles around the Earth at 17,000 mph or 27,358 kmph.

In the spectacular 30-second video, as the stars go down the horizon, they meet the rapidly-moving lights from the surface.

"No words to add to this night view," Virts tweeted.

Virts and his crew were set to return on May 13, but the plan was delayed till June as an unmanned Russian resupply mission failed to dock and crashed into the Pacific Ocean earlier this month.

Virts was not disappointed at all. "I (am) very glad to stay!" he tweeted.

"I wish, I had been two minutes quicker with the camera. We were right above this and surrounded by green!," he tweeted.