Astronaut Photography

Solar Evaporation Ponds near Moab, Utah
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Solar Evaporation Ponds near Moab, Utah

A fertilizer extraction operation adds distinct color to the landscape.

Published Aug 7, 2017

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Crater Lake
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Crater Lake

The deepest lake in the United States is a haven for fishermen.

Published Jul 31, 2017

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Tijuana and the Mexico-U.S. Border
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Tijuana and the Mexico-U.S. Border

The city is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Mexico and site of the busiest international land-border crossing in the world.

Published Jul 24, 2017

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Chilko Lake
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Chilko Lake

Occupying a valley carved by glaciers, the remote lake dominates Ts’yl-os Provincial Park in British Columbia.

Published Jul 17, 2017

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Washington on the Potomac River
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Washington on the Potomac River

Wedged between Maryland and Virginia, the District of Columbia was established in 1790 to serve as the permanent seat of the U.S. federal government.

Published Jul 10, 2017

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Western Cape Fires on the Outeniqua Mountains
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Western Cape Fires on the Outeniqua Mountains

In June 2017, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were asked to take photographs of widespread wildfires on South Africa’s mountainous southern coast.

Published Jul 3, 2017

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Lights On and Over the Southern Horizon
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Lights On and Over the Southern Horizon

An astronaut caught a glimpse of the aurora australis while looking out across the Indian Ocean.

Published Jul 2, 2017

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Coal Mines, Eastern Germany
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Coal Mines, Eastern Germany

An astronaut managed to capture the size and detail of the artificial landscape that results from strip mining.

Published Jun 26, 2017

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Fish Ponds and Rice Fields, Lower Guadalquivir River
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Fish Ponds and Rice Fields, Lower Guadalquivir River

Along the delta of the Guadalquivir River, fish farming takes a more natural course.

Published Jun 19, 2017

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Eastern New Orleans
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Eastern New Orleans

Known as the rural side of New Orleans, the landscape is largely marshes and bayous and old European names.

Published Jun 12, 2017

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Meidob Volcanic Field
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Meidob Volcanic Field

This geologically young volcanic field in western Sudan has nearly 700 vents and craters.

Published Jun 5, 2017

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Drainage Patterns and Wind Farms in Northwest China
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Drainage Patterns and Wind Farms in Northwest China

Turbines and alluvial fans scratch out shapes across the flat landscape.

Published May 29, 2017

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Corinth Canal
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Corinth Canal

This passage through the Peloponnese Peninsula was 2500 years in the making.

Published May 22, 2017

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Burlington, Iowa, and the Mississippi Floodplain
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Burlington, Iowa, and the Mississippi Floodplain

The city has a commanding view of the fertile and well-vegetated river basin and plain.

Published May 15, 2017

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Mount Silla and Monterrey
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Mount Silla and Monterrey

A saddle-shaped mountain distinguishes a region that carries a heavy economic load for Mexico.

Published May 10, 2017

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The I-95 Corridor at Night
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The I-95 Corridor at Night

A nearly uninterrupted string of lights stretches from Philadelphia to Hartford.

Published May 1, 2017

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South Australia, Wet and Dry
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South Australia, Wet and Dry

The landscape near the southern Murray River contrasts fertile farmland with dry lakes.

Published Apr 24, 2017

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A Royal View of Denmark
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A Royal View of Denmark

There is nothing rotten about this view of the Scandinavian nation that thrives amidst cold northern waters.

Published Apr 17, 2017

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Lake Neusiedl and Lake Ferto
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Lake Neusiedl and Lake Ferto

Straddling Austria and Hungary, the lake is also known as the “Sea of the Viennese.”

Published Apr 10, 2017

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Agriculture on the Ethiopian Plateau
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Agriculture on the Ethiopian Plateau

Standing beside floodplains and wetlands, the highlands are packed with farms.

Published Apr 3, 2017

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Wheatland Reservoir, Wyoming
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Wheatland Reservoir, Wyoming

Winter traces white and blue across the high country.

Published Mar 27, 2017

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Etna Erupts
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Etna Erupts

The volcano produced streams of lava in March 2017.

Published Mar 23, 2017

Heat Volcanoes Human Presence Remote Sensing

Grand Turk Island
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Grand Turk Island

Much of the land surface is covered by salt evaporation ponds and a saline lake known as Town Pond, around which the capital—Cockburn Town—developed.

Published Mar 20, 2017

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Fending Off the Wind on the Steppe
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Fending Off the Wind on the Steppe

Shelterbelts, or wind breaks, are used to protect and preserve farmland in southern Russian.

Published Mar 13, 2017

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Naples and Mount Vesuvius at Night
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Naples and Mount Vesuvius at Night

Millennia of human development stand alongside mainland Europe’s only active volcano.

Published Mar 6, 2017

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Astronauts Snap a Photo of Oroville Dam
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Astronauts Snap a Photo of Oroville Dam

The International Space Station got a view of the overflowing dam.

Published Mar 3, 2017

Water Floods Human Presence

Flood Waters Reach Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre
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Flood Waters Reach Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre

The usually dry, inland lake in Australia came alive with color after flood waters arrived in the late summer of 2017.

Published Feb 27, 2017

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Red on White: Lake Maharlu
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Red on White: Lake Maharlu

Salt and algae lend color to the bed of this desert lake in Iran.

Published Feb 20, 2017

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Dek and Daga Islands, Ethiopia
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Dek and Daga Islands, Ethiopia

Ancient monasteries and settlements dot these islands in the middle of Ethiopia’s largest lake.

Published Feb 13, 2017

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Melbourne, Australia
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Melbourne, Australia

Australia’s second-largest city has an historic past.

Published Feb 6, 2017

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