Astronaut Photography

Cloudscape Over the Philippine Sea
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Cloudscape Over the Philippine Sea

Thunderhead anvils stretch out in three dimensions against the thin blue envelope of the atmosphere.

Published Nov 14, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water

Little Bahama Bank
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Little Bahama Bank

The shallow seas allow us to see vivid details of how waves, winds, and tides shape the islands.

Published Nov 7, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water

Sediment Patterns, Western Australia
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Sediment Patterns, Western Australia

Once clouds have cleared away, the effects of major storms often can be viewed from space for days and weeks.

Published Oct 31, 2016

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

Caspian Sea
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Caspian Sea

The inland sea in Central Asia has a host of distinctive features along its shores.

Published Oct 24, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water

The Black Hills
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The Black Hills

The dark, pine-covered slopes rise up from the Great Plains like an island from a sea of grass.

Published Oct 23, 2016

Image of the Day Land

Santorini, Greece
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Santorini, Greece

The islands of this tourist mecca are actually the rim of an old volcano.

Published Oct 17, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

A Curious Ensemble of Wonderful Features
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A Curious Ensemble of Wonderful Features

Parts of the Glen Canyon that John Wesley Powell explored in 1869 have been submerged by Lake Powell.

Published Oct 16, 2016

Image of the Day Land

Channel Country, Northwest Queensland
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Channel Country, Northwest Queensland

These wide Australian floodplains are unique on the planet. Scientists think they are caused by the extreme variation in water and sediment discharges from the local rivers.

Published Oct 10, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water

Grosser Aletschgletscher
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Grosser Aletschgletscher

Great Aletsch in Switzerland is the largest glacier in Europe.

Published Oct 3, 2016

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Living in a Desert Basin
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Living in a Desert Basin

Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountains frame a beautiful landscape around Provo.

Published Sep 26, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Water Swirls, Gulf of St. Lawrence
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Water Swirls, Gulf of St. Lawrence

Reflections off the water surface show an interlinked mass of currents and eddies in the shallow water north of Prince Edward Island.

Published Sep 19, 2016

Image of the Day Water

Central Madrid
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Central Madrid

Madrid is the political, economic, and cultural center of Spain.

Published Sep 12, 2016

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Southern Greenland
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Southern Greenland

An astronaut caught an unlikely glimpse of a wide swath of Greenland, which is often cloud-covered and far from the northernmost orbit of the space station.

Published Sep 5, 2016

Image of the Day Land Human Presence Snow and Ice

Manila, Philippines
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Manila, Philippines

The political and economic hub of the Philippines has a long history of globalization.

Published Aug 29, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Living on the Edge of the Taklimakan Desert
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Living on the Edge of the Taklimakan Desert

Bosten Lake, one of the largest inland lakes in China, and the Kaidu River have made this dry landscape habitable.

Published Aug 22, 2016

Image of the Day Land Life Human Presence

Port of Aden, Yemen
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Port of Aden, Yemen

Aden lies near the south end of the Red Sea, at a critical point where major sea lanes converge—between Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and India, and the long shoreline of East Africa.

Published Aug 15, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Aurora and Manicouagan Crater
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Aurora and Manicouagan Crater

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station adjusted the camera for night imaging and captured the green veils and curtains of an aurora that spanned thousands of kilometers over Canada.

Published Aug 8, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Human Presence

Band-e-Amir Fan
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Band-e-Amir Fan

Clusters of dark green fields stretch away from the hills like fingers across this alluvial fan in Afghanistan.

Published Aug 1, 2016

Image of the Day Land Life Water Human Presence

Rome at Night
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Rome at Night

The radial pattern of highways echoes the ancient saying that “all roads lead to Rome.”

Published Jul 28, 2016

Image of the Day Human Presence

Cape Coral, Florida
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Cape Coral, Florida

The development includes a vast network of constructed canals totaling more than 400 miles—perhaps the longest canal shoreline in the world.

Published Jul 25, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Baikonur, Kazakhstan
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Baikonur, Kazakhstan

Situated along a major bend in the Syr Darya, the town is home to the Cosmodrome, launch site for many missions to the International Space Station.

Published Jul 18, 2016

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Hayden Pass and Beaver Creek Fires in Colorado
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Hayden Pass and Beaver Creek Fires in Colorado

Colorado’s Beaver Creek and Hayden Pass fires continue to blaze.

Published Jul 14, 2016

Atmosphere Heat Land Fires

Paris at Night
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Paris at Night

Even in a sea of lights, certain landmarks stand out.

Published Jul 11, 2016

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Bay of Fundy
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Bay of Fundy

One of the world’s most famous bays, these Canadian waters have the highest vertical tidal range on the planet.

Published Jul 3, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

A Gap in the Andes
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A Gap in the Andes

An astronaut on the International Space Station captured this view of the river valley that contains the famed Pan-American Highway.

Published Jun 27, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence Snow and Ice

Bahariya Oasis
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Bahariya Oasis

In the Western Desert of Egypt, date and olive groves stand out alongside an ancient settlement.

Published Jun 20, 2016

Image of the Day Life Water Human Presence

Lake Tengiz
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Lake Tengiz

The salty lake in northern Kazakhstan is rich in natural and spaceflight history.

Published Jun 13, 2016

Image of the Day Water

Great Barrier Reef near Whitsunday Islands
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Great Barrier Reef near Whitsunday Islands

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system on Earth, with more than 3,000 separate reefs and coral cays. It is also one of the most complex natural ecosystems.

Published May 31, 2016

Image of the Day Life Water

Cincinnati
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Cincinnati

Steep bluffs and curving bends give this stretch of the Ohio River a distinctive look.

Published May 23, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

An Astronaut’s View of the Fort McMurray Fire
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An Astronaut’s View of the Fort McMurray Fire

An astronaut on the International Space Station took this photograph of smoke billowing from wildfires near Fort McMurray.

Published May 18, 2016

Fires Human Presence