Astronaut Photography

Punta Banda, Baja California
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Punta Banda, Baja California

Fishing is an integral part of the economy for this region, which also attracts whales and tourists.

Published Sep 8, 2019

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Mount Rainier
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Mount Rainier

The tallest mountain of the Cascade Range is a Pacific Northwest icon.

Published Sep 4, 2019

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The Smoke that Thunders
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The Smoke that Thunders

Although not the highest or longest falls in the world, Victoria Falls is the world’s largest sheet of falling water.

Published Sep 1, 2019

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Sunglint on Turkmenbashi Gulf
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Sunglint on Turkmenbashi Gulf

The complex patterns are due to waves, winds, the presence of oils or surfactants, and the presence of boats and drilling platforms.

Published Aug 25, 2019

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The Cape of Good Hope
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The Cape of Good Hope

Originally named the Cape of Storms, it was later renamed to Good Hope in order to attract more people to the Cape Sea Route.

Published Aug 18, 2019

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A Misty Morning in the Mountains
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A Misty Morning in the Mountains

A glorious winter morning view greeted astronauts as they passed over the rugged peaks of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca.

Published Aug 11, 2019

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The St. Louis Hub
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The St. Louis Hub

Roads, railways, and a mighty river meet in this longtime trading hub of the central United States.

Published Aug 4, 2019

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Cloudy Sulawesi
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Cloudy Sulawesi

The International Space Station was crossing over the equator when an astronaut looked east and took this photo just after a sunrise.

Published Jul 28, 2019

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Same Islands, Two Views
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Same Islands, Two Views

These two images of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, taken from different directions, give a sense of the astronaut flight experience.

Published Jul 21, 2019

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An Eagle Takes Off for Home
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An Eagle Takes Off for Home

When the Apollo 11 astronauts left the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969, they brought home samples of solar wind particles, lunar rocks and dirt, and a big helping of perspective.

Published Jul 20, 2019

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Florida’s Rocks and Rocketeers
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Florida’s Rocks and Rocketeers

Most of the state’s land surface overlies thick limestone deposits that have been transformed into a distinct aquifer system.

Published Jul 16, 2019

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Long View of the Mississippi River Delta
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Long View of the Mississippi River Delta

The river drains water and sediment from 31 U.S. states, delivering both to the Gulf of Mexico via the Atchafalaya and Mississippi River deltas.

Published Jul 5, 2019

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Roseburg, Oregon
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Roseburg, Oregon

Timber production has etched a checkerboard pattern in the forests surrounding the town.

Published Jun 30, 2019

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Raikoke Erupts
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Raikoke Erupts

An unexpected series of blasts from a remote volcano in the Kuril Islands sent ash and volcanic gases streaming high over the North Pacific Ocean.

Published Jun 24, 2019

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Viewing Venus from the Space Station
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Viewing Venus from the Space Station

With sixteen sunrises and sunsets, astronauts have a lot of chances to see our nearest solar system neighbor.

Published Jun 23, 2019

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Ship Tracks, Aleutian Islands
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Ship Tracks, Aleutian Islands

Exhaust creates cloud lines that trace the curved trajectories of ships.

Published Jun 16, 2019

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Amistad Reservoir
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Amistad Reservoir

When full, the lake is the second largest in Texas.

Published Jun 9, 2019

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Flathead Lake, Montana
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Flathead Lake, Montana

Located within the Rocky Mountain Trench, it is one of the largest freshwater lakes west of the Mississippi River.

Published Jun 2, 2019

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Northern California Coastline
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Northern California Coastline

The climate of Humboldt County is persistently wet, with legendary fog that has helped the trees and the military.

Published May 26, 2019

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Glint of the Irrawaddy Delta
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Glint of the Irrawaddy Delta

Sunlight traces the mouth of one of Asia’s great rivers—a major artery for commercial and sediment transport.

Published May 19, 2019

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A Wide View of Luzon
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A Wide View of Luzon

Astronauts caught a rare, mostly clear glimpse of the largest island in the Philippines.

Published May 12, 2019

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Guinea-Bissau, the Sahel, and the Sahara Desert
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Guinea-Bissau, the Sahel, and the Sahara Desert

From space station altitude, astronauts can see several different climate zones in a single view.

Published Apr 21, 2019

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Coal and Cattle in Southern Queensland
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Coal and Cattle in Southern Queensland

The Surat Basin has 150 million-year-old sediments, four billion tons of proven thermal coal resources, and a bunch of cows.

Published Apr 7, 2019

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Wet and Dry Morocco
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Wet and Dry Morocco

Westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean carry moisture into the region, but the Atlas Mountains act as a weather barrier between coastal grasslands and wetlands and the Sahara Desert.

Published Mar 17, 2019

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Grand Canyon Under Snow
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Grand Canyon Under Snow

The Grand Canyon is one of the best known natural wonders on Earth, but astronauts see very different patterns compared with the iconic ground-based views.

Published Mar 10, 2019

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Cloudy Congo River Basin
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Cloudy Congo River Basin

Moisture and solar heating lead to interesting patterns in one of the cloudiest places on Earth.

Published Mar 3, 2019

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Cologne, Germany
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Cologne, Germany

The city is the cultural, historic, and economic capital of the Rhineland, a vital inland port, and the busiest rail junction in Germany.

Published Feb 17, 2019

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Missouri Plateau
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Missouri Plateau

The Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains at this flatland of the central-northwest United States.

Published Feb 18, 2019

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Ancient Rocks, Modern Dunes
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Ancient Rocks, Modern Dunes

In the arid interior of Yemen, ancient rocks stand astride dry river beds and mighty sand dunes.

Published Feb 10, 2019

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Icy Moose River
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Icy Moose River

Taken near the northernmost extent of the space station’s orbit, this photograph shows ice growth in the midst of freezing season near James Bay.

Published Jan 31, 2019

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