Astronaut Photography

Coastal Spit, Lake Erie
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Coastal Spit, Lake Erie

Presque Isle State Park includes dozens of individual beach ridges, with each line representing a coastline from the past.

Published Dec 23, 2017

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Lake Khuvsgul
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Lake Khuvsgul

The largest freshwater lake in Mongolia is known as the “sister” to Lake Baikal. Together they hold 20 percent of the fresh water on the planet.

Published Dec 18, 2017

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Night Lights of the Levant
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Night Lights of the Levant

Alternating clusters of light and darkness show where civilization has carved out a place alongside and amidst the deserts.

Published Dec 11, 2017

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Agricultural Fields and Flat Lands, Brazil
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Agricultural Fields and Flat Lands, Brazil

The many flat plateau surfaces in the southern parts of Maranhão State are ideal for the wheeled machinery of mechanized agriculture.

Published Dec 4, 2017

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The Port City of Jeddah
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The Port City of Jeddah

This “Gateway to Mecca” stands along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia.

Published Nov 27, 2017

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Sandy Lake, Northwest Ontario
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Sandy Lake, Northwest Ontario

Fine clay sediment laid down by ancient glaciers gives color to modern lakes on the Canadian Shield.

Published Nov 20, 2017

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Salt Glacier, Zagros Mountains
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Salt Glacier, Zagros Mountains

Southeastern Iran is home to numerous salt domes and salt glaciers, which have been built over time by the movement of Earth’s crust.

Published Nov 13, 2017

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Sunrise over the Philippine Sea
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Sunrise over the Philippine Sea

Astronauts see sixteen sunrises every 24 hours.

Published Nov 6, 2017

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Lake Hazlett and Lake Willis
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Lake Hazlett and Lake Willis

Ephemeral salt lakes and their mineral deposits add color and texture to the arid Australian Outback.

Published Oct 30, 2017

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Colorado River Agriculture
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Colorado River Agriculture

Farms rise from a floodplain where the Mojave nation meets Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Published Oct 23, 2017

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Barchan Dunes and Lagoons, Southern Brazil
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Barchan Dunes and Lagoons, Southern Brazil

Strong winds blowing in from the Western Atlantic sculpt the sand along the coast into distinctive crescent shapes.

Published Oct 16, 2017

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White River, South Dakota
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White River, South Dakota

The river draws its name from the white sediment it carries down from the Badlands.

Published Oct 9, 2017

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Southern Lights near the Great Australian Bight
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Southern Lights near the Great Australian Bight

Auroras show out atmosphere’s connection to the heliosphere—the solar system-wide atmosphere of the Sun.

Published Oct 2, 2017

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Bridging the Bosphorus
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Bridging the Bosphorus

The famous strait bisects Turkey’s largest city and marks the line between Europe and Asia.

Published Sep 25, 2017

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Crop Circles in Sharq El Owainat
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Crop Circles in Sharq El Owainat

Greenery sprouts from the Sahara Desert in Egypt thanks to the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System.

Published Sep 18, 2017

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Zeebrugge, Belgium
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Zeebrugge, Belgium

One of Europe’s most important modern ports is a city of commercial superlatives.

Published Aug 21, 2017

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Manzanillo, Mexico
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Manzanillo, Mexico

The port city handles cargo for Mexico City and the surrounding region.

Published Aug 14, 2017

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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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