What space looks like in space depends on what is around you that might scatter light. The human eye is very adaptable to varying light conditions, in low light conditions the iris dilates to let in as much light as possible, in high light conditions it contracts to restrict light to give the retina a consistent amount of light and to protect ...

Note that a spacecraft that is very close to a planet, such as the International Space Station, would be lit by ambient light from the planet if it is over the daytime side. Space ships within the solar system, such as this Apollo 13 Service Module, are starkly lit by sunlight and without ambient light.

This explains each interior area, crew living quarters, and scientific equipment.

In Otherworlds, Benson tries his best to create images that represent what a moon or planet might actually look like if you could peer at it out a spaceship window.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) see the world at night on every orbit — that’s 16 times each crew day. An astronaut took this broad, short-lens photograph of Earth’s night lights while looking out over the remote reaches of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean.