Astronaut Photography

Reading a Snowy Landscape
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Reading a Snowy Landscape

Distinct textures stand out in this winter scene around Bositeng Lake in China’s Xinjiang region.

Published Apr 7, 2024

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Rivers of the Andean Foothills
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Rivers of the Andean Foothills

Meandering waterways distribute sediments across a foothill valley in Argentina.

Published Mar 31, 2024

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Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada
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Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada

Lights, snow, and clouds brighten this wintery scene of Earth’s northern latitudes.

Published Mar 24, 2024

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Siachen Glacier
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Siachen Glacier

An astronaut’s photograph reveals the myriad features of a remote glacier high in the Karakoram mountains of central Asia.

Published Mar 17, 2024

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Eight Countries, One Photo
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Eight Countries, One Photo

This wide-angle photo offers the feeling of looking out over the Persian Gulf from an altitude of about 250 miles.

Published Mar 10, 2024

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Sierra Vista
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Sierra Vista

This city in southern Arizona is surrounded by mountains, national forest, and conservation areas.

Published Mar 3, 2024

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Mount Nemrut’s Compelling Caldera
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Mount Nemrut’s Compelling Caldera

Lakes and lava flows fill the depression atop this geologically young stratovolcano in eastern Türkiye.

Published Feb 25, 2024

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Evening Glow in the Junggar Basin
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Evening Glow in the Junggar Basin

The setting Sun illuminates the western faces of sand dunes across this low-lying basin in northwestern China.

Published Feb 18, 2024

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Ice Swirls Along the Labrador Coast
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Ice Swirls Along the Labrador Coast

An astronaut and satellite sensors captured eye-catching patterns in sea ice.

Published Feb 15, 2024

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Reflecting on Hispaniola
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Reflecting on Hispaniola

Bright white water surfaces and cloud tops contrast with the darker landscape of this Caribbean island.

Published Feb 11, 2024

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Bright Lights, Big Game
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Bright Lights, Big Game

A large stadium contributes to the nighttime illumination of Las Vegas, which hosts the Super Bowl for the first time in 2024.

Published Feb 10, 2024

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Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon
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Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon

This coastal stretch of South Africa’s Western Cape province supports industry, fishing, farming, tourism, and a nature reserve.

Published Feb 4, 2024

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Mount Shasta in Winter
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Mount Shasta in Winter

The iconic volcano of Northern California is home to seven glaciers that become buried in a blanket of snow during winter.

Published Jan 28, 2024

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Water Beneath the Sand
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Water Beneath the Sand

The remote and arid Kufrah district in Libya lies on top of one of the largest irrigation projects in the world.

Published Jan 23, 2024

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Folded Rocks of Northwest Iran
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Folded Rocks of Northwest Iran

Tectonic forces over millions of years have folded the region’s layers of colorful rock. Erosion has since exposed them.

Published Jan 21, 2024

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Riverside Living in Rosario
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Riverside Living in Rosario

The populous Argentinian city lies along the Paraná River, an important waterway for trade and resource transportation.

Published Jan 14, 2024

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Kochi’s Engineered Environment
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Kochi’s Engineered Environment

Infrastructure, aquaculture, and an artificial island are found along this coastal stretch of southwest India.

Published Jan 7, 2024

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Sunrise from the Station
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Sunrise from the Station

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are uniquely positioned to capture striking photos of the Sun and Earth.

Published Jan 1, 2024

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Ridges and Valleys of the Upper Mississippi
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Ridges and Valleys of the Upper Mississippi

The terrain near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers is topographically varied compared to the relatively flat Midwest.

Published Dec 31, 2023

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Sea Ice Delivery from the Arctic Circle
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Sea Ice Delivery from the Arctic Circle

The Labrador Current transports ice southward, where it melts in warmer open water.

Published Dec 24, 2023

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Rebuilding on a Lava Flow in La Palma  
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Rebuilding on a Lava Flow in La Palma  

Two years after the eruption of Cumbre Vieja in the Canary Islands, some roads have been reconstructed.  

Published Dec 17, 2023

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Athens at Night
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Athens at Night

Stark contrasts between light and dark indicate the interface between urban and natural areas in the Greek capital.

Published Dec 10, 2023

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Coastal Somalia
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Coastal Somalia

Water-carved canyons and wind-sculpted dunes adorn the desert landscape.

Published Dec 3, 2023

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Manifa Field Causeway
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Manifa Field Causeway

The causeway and its blocky “islands” off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia make oil drilling possible in the region’s shallow waters.

Published Nov 26, 2023

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Bright Beaches in Florida
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Bright Beaches in Florida

The white sands of Florida’s Emerald Coast beaches are primarily comprised of quartz grains from the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Published Nov 19, 2023

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Vibrant Auroras
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Vibrant Auroras

Curtains of colorful light danced across the sky after solar storms sent energized particles crashing into Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Published Nov 10, 2023

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The Red Sea Hills of Sudan
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The Red Sea Hills of Sudan

Ancient geologic processes created a Saharan landscape full of contrasts.

Published Nov 12, 2023

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Volcanic Duo in the Andes Mountains
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Volcanic Duo in the Andes Mountains

The Parinacota and Pomerape volcanoes rise like twins along the Chile-Bolivia border, but close inspection reveals distinct differences in their appearance.

Published Nov 5, 2023

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Life Blood of Earth
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Life Blood of Earth

Despite their rusty color, these arteries of water in Bolivia and Madagascar are important for biodiversity.

Published Oct 29, 2023

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A Long View of Mount Etna
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A Long View of Mount Etna

Oblique photographs can provide a unique perspective on the planet’s topographic highs, including Europe’s most active volcano.

Published Oct 20, 2023

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