Astronaut Photography

The Electric Eye of Cyclone Bansi
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The Electric Eye of Cyclone Bansi

Lightning illuminated the center of the storm as the space station flew over at night.

Published Jan 25, 2015

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Gulf of Taranto
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Gulf of Taranto

Sediment and runoff plumes highlight the coast at the base of Italy’s boot.

Published Jan 19, 2015

Image of the Day Land Water

Cancún, Mexico
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Cancún, Mexico

A long lens was used by astronauts aboard the space station to take this photograph of the many natural and built features around this Mexican tourist mecca.

Published Jan 12, 2015

Image of the Day Life Water Human Presence

Plume from the Fraser River
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Plume from the Fraser River

British Columbia's longest river delivers sediment and nutrients to the Strait of Georgia.

Published Jan 7, 2015

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Stable Fedchenko
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Stable Fedchenko

Precipitation increases and a layer of debris on the terminus have helped maintain the longest mid-latitude glacier.

Published Jan 5, 2015

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Marzuq Sand Sea, Libya
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Marzuq Sand Sea, Libya

This sand sea is one of the most recognizable features for orbiting astronauts, partly because they see it often through cloudless Saharan skies.

Published Dec 29, 2014

Image of the Day Land

Rising in the East
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Rising in the East

The cradle of three major religions—and of much of modern civilization—was captured in this photograph by an astronaut on the International Space Station.

Published Dec 24, 2014

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Chicago and Its Loop
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Chicago and Its Loop

A photograph from the space station shows some of the natural features that have governed the growth of the city.

Published Dec 22, 2014

Image of the Day Human Presence

Italy at Night
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Italy at Night

The easily recognized boot of Italy is spread across this panorama taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Published Dec 15, 2014

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

The Rocky Mountain Trench
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The Rocky Mountain Trench

As seen from the International Space Station, a long trench divides the Columbia Mountains and the Canadian Rockies.

Published Dec 13, 2014

Image of the Day Land

An Expanse of White in Bolivia
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An Expanse of White in Bolivia

The evaporation of several prehistoric lakes contributed to the formation of Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat.

Published Dec 9, 2014

Image of the Day Land

Central Saudi Arabia: Riyadh and dunes
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Central Saudi Arabia: Riyadh and dunes

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this photograph when the desert center of Arabia was partly obscured by a dusty atmosphere.

Published Dec 8, 2014

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Amazon River in Sunglint
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Amazon River in Sunglint

Astronauts use the Sun’s reflection point to reveal features that are otherwise difficult or impossible to see.

Published Dec 1, 2014

Image of the Day Water

Anvil on the Horizon
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Anvil on the Horizon

As moisture-filled thunderhead clouds expand upward through the atmosphere, they can hit a more stable layer and flatten into an anvil shape.

Published Nov 24, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Florida at Night
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Florida at Night

The peninsula is highly recognizable even at night, especially when looking north, as our map-trained brains expect.

Published Nov 17, 2014

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Smog or Fog? Actually, a Bit of Both
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Smog or Fog? Actually, a Bit of Both

A photograph by an astronaut leads us to a teachable moment about what’s in our air.

Published Nov 11, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere Human Presence

El Paso and Ciudad Juárez
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El Paso and Ciudad Juárez

This astronaut photograph shows these sister cities on the Rio Grande, the second largest metropolitan area on the Mexico–U.S. border.

Published Nov 10, 2014

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Fire Scar and Dune Shapes, Southeastern Australia
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Fire Scar and Dune Shapes, Southeastern Australia

Recent fires burned away the vegetation cover of desert scrub to reveal a sheet of white sand and barchan dune patterns.

Published Nov 3, 2014

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Inland Delta of the Niger River
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Inland Delta of the Niger River

For millennia, the river has been the most important water supply in the western Sahara Desert.

Published Oct 27, 2014

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Kansas City Metropolitan Area
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Kansas City Metropolitan Area

The hometown of a 2014 World Series contender is brimming with baseball history.

Published Oct 25, 2014

Image of the Day Human Presence

Southwestern USA at Night
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Southwestern USA at Night

This wide-angle panorama shows a huge swath of the western United States from Portland to Phoenix.

Published Oct 20, 2014

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

The Many Colors of Electric Lights
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The Many Colors of Electric Lights

Distinct colors mark the communities and commerce along the Tsushima Strait, between Japan and South Korea.

Published Oct 19, 2014

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Egmont National Park, New Zealand
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Egmont National Park, New Zealand

This protected area on North Island is centered around a volcano and sits on a promontory that juts out into the Tasman Sea.

Published Oct 13, 2014

Image of the Day Land

The Persian Gulf, Clear and Clouded
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The Persian Gulf, Clear and Clouded

Two images show the region before and during a vast a dust storm.

Published Oct 6, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Amazon Forest Fires
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Amazon Forest Fires

Astronauts caught a glimpse of rainforest being cleared for agriculture in Brazil.

Published Sep 22, 2014

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Dust and Clouds Dance Over the Sahara
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Dust and Clouds Dance Over the Sahara

A massive dust storm filled the skies over Libya in early September 2014.

Published Sep 21, 2014

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Keeping an Eye on Edouard
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Keeping an Eye on Edouard

Researchers are deploying a mix of airborne and orbiting tools to unlock secrets of the most potent storms on Earth.

Published Sep 20, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water

Bloom in the Bering Sea
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Bloom in the Bering Sea

Changing conditions in the waters near Alaska promotes late summer phytoplankton growth.

Published Sep 19, 2014

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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Ukraine
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Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Ukraine

PMCs have become brighter and thicker and have appeared farther south in recent years.

Published Sep 15, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Thunderstorms over Borneo
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Thunderstorms over Borneo

Different air flow patterns at low and high altitudes provoke compelling cloud features over Indonesia.

Published Sep 8, 2014

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water