The culturally vibrant city of Irkutsk, Russia, is split by the Angara River

iss074e0044192 (Jan. 3, 2026) --- The culturally vibrant city of Irkutsk, Russia, in Siberia is split by the Angara River, which flows south to Lake Baikal—the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world. To the northwest lies the smaller city of Angarsk. Together, these industrial hubs have a combined population of approximately 830,000 and focus on petroleum, engineering, and chemical industries. The International Space Station was orbiting 266 miles above Earth at about 3:23 a.m. local time when this photograph was taken. Credit: JAXA/Kimiya Yui