Earth Observations from Space

Satellite images showcasing coastal areas with varying water colors and cloud patterns, highlighting Earth's geography and marine features.

(7 - 19 August 1997) --- The abundant plankton, microscopic organisms, are taking the shape of the currents in the Baltic Sea offshore from Gdansk, Poland. Plankton blooms occur when there is enough nutrient in the water to support rapid growth and reproduction of the microorganisms. Gdansk is situated at the mouth of the Vistula River on the north coast of Poland. It is a major industrial center for shipyards, metallurgical and chemical plants, timber mills, food-processing facilities and more recently (since 1975) for coal exports and petroleum imports..

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

(7 - 19 August 1997) --- The abundant plankton, microscopic organisms, are taking the shape of the currents in the Baltic Sea offshore from Gdansk, Poland. Plankton blooms occur when there is enough nutrient in the water to support rapid growth and reproduction of the microorganisms. Gdansk is situated at the mouth of the Vistula River on the north coast of Poland. It is a major industrial center for shipyards, metallurgical and chemical plants, timber mills, food-processing facilities and more recently (since 1975) for coal exports and petroleum imports..

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Various views of Earth taken on STS-7 for news release.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as CEO - Arena de Sao Paolo. Santos, Brazil possibly visible.

This image from NASA's EarthKAM captures the tropical beauty of the major islands of the Little Bahama Bank, the most northerly of the island groups that comprise the Bahamas.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.

61A-50-020 (30 Oct-6 Nov 1985) --- Large photo plankton vortex along the coast of New Zealand's South Island, about 100 kilometers to the north by northeast of Christchurch. Southern hemisphere vortices are clearly clockwise as opposed to counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as New Zealand.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

ISS040-E-000465 (17 May 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members aboard the International Space Station recorded this view of the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Thin clouds over the Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center area do not obstruct the view of Launch Complex 39 (bottom center), from which 135 space shuttle missions lifted off between 1981 and 2011. Appearing about the size of a pinhead, nearby can be seen the giant Vehicle Assembly Building, which has a history that goes back to the beginning of Apollo.

Colour satellite image of Cotonou, Benin. Image taken on December 18, 2013 with Landsat 8 data.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

AS09-26A-3816A (12 March 1969) --- Color infrared photograph of the Atlantic coast of Georgia, Brunswick area, taken on March 12, 1969, by one of the four synchronized cameras of the Apollo 9 Earth Resources Survey SO65 Experiment. At 11:35 a.m. (EST) when this picture was made the Apollo 9 spacecraft was at an altitude of 102 nautical miles, and the sun elevation was 51 degrees above the horizon. The location of the point on Earth's surface at which the four-camera combination was aimed 31 degrees 16 minutes north latitude, and 81 degrees 17 minutes west longitude. The other three cameras used: (B) black and white film with a red filter; (C) black and white infrared film; and (D) black and white film with a green filter.

iss070e035893 (Dec. 4, 2023) --- Islands along the Greek coast and the Ambracian Gulf (upper left) are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the Ionian Sea.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

iss070e026322 (Nov. 17, 2023) --- The Quirimbas Islands off the northeastern coast of Mozambique in the Indian Ocean are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the African nation.

This color photo view of Houston (29.5N, 95.0W) was taken with a dual camera mount for comparitive film type testing. Compare this scene with STS048-106- 034 for an analysis of the unique properties of each type. Comparitive tests such as this aids in determining the kinds of information unique to each film system and evaluates and compares photography taken through hazy atmospheres. Color film is best at presenting the image as it appears to the human eye.

Earth observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

Earth observation taken during day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Indonesian volcano.

In the aftermath of the massive earthquake that struck northeastern Japan at 2:46 p.m. local time on March 11, 2011, and its subsequent tsunami. March 12, 2011. Satellite image.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 41 crewmember.

ISS034-E-032377 (18 Jan. 2013) --- Internal waves off Northern Trinidad are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 34 crew member on the International Space Station. This photograph shows the north coast of the island of Trinidad in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, where heating of the land is setting off the growth of cumulus clouds. The light blue northwest-southeast trending plume at center is sediment from one of the rivers that flows into the sea here. Adjacent to, and appearing to cross the sediment plume, a series of subtle interacting arcs can be seen in the sea. These are known as internal waves which are the surface manifestation of slow waves moving tens of meters beneath the sea surface. These produce enough of an effect on the sea surface to be seen from space, but only where they are enhanced due to reflection of sunlight, or sunglint, back towards the space station. The image shows at least three sets of internal waves interacting. The most prominent set (to

SL3-40-077 (July-September 1973) --- A vertical view of the Mediterranean coastal area of southeastern France as photographed from Earth orbit by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment aboard the Skylab space station. This view of the coast extends from the eastern outskirts of Marseilles easterly to Cannes, and includes the city of Toulon. The S190-A experiment is part of the Skylab Earth Resources Experiments Package. Federal agencies participating with NASA on the EREP project are the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers. All EREP photography is available to the public through the Department of Interior s Earth Resources Observations Systems Data Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57198.

Earth observation taken during day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS). Per Twitter message Bahamas.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

S103-E-5361 (24 December 1999) --- This vertical view from the Space Shuttle Discovery shows two small islands of the Marianas Islands (Saipan and Tinian) in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. The STS-103 crew recorded this electronic still image at 28:05:53 GMT, December 24, 1999.

Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).

USA: Pearl Harbor, on the southern coastline of the Hawaiian island Oahu, photographed from orbit, NASA, 27 October 2009

ISS007-E-16813 (8 October 2003) --- This view featuring Honolulu, Hawaii was photographed by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The city is striking for the way it is bound by surrounding geography. Built-up fingers of the city extend northeast onto the steep volcanic slopes and surround the volcanic craters of Punchbowl crater and Diamond Head, leaving undeveloped only parklands and the steepest ridges. They are both tuff cones that formed as magma from the erupting volcano came in contact with ground water at a time when sea levels were higher than they are now. As the water turned to steam, according to NASA scientists, it caused an explosion that formed a hill of ash with a broad crater in the center.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.

. iss070e002303 (Oct. 6, 2023) --- The Caspian Sea and cities and towns on the coast of northern Iran are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth observation taken during day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter and downlinked in folder Japan.

iss055e020372 (April 10, 2018) --- Reunion Island, a French region off the coast of Madagascar, was pictured by an Expedition 55 crew member as the International Space Station orbited over the Indian Ocean.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter and downlinked in folder South Pacific.

Satellite view of Hong Kong and Macau. The Hong KongñZhuhaiñMacau Bridge which consists of a series of bridges and tunnels can be seen on the image. This image was compiled from data acquired by Landsat 8 satellite in 2015.

Color satellite image of Bahrain, an island country on the Persian Gulf.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Color satellite image of Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries.

(5-14 June 1991) --- This oblique scene from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia shows southern Florida, several of the Bahama Islands and parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea..

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, and contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town. NASA's Terra spacecraft acquired this image on September 18, 2001.

Mar Menor, in southeast Spain, is Europe's largest coastal saltwater lagoon. For the past 40 years, Mar Menor has faced severe contamination from agricultural runoff, leading to large algal blooms, and ecological degradation. Now, major restoration and prevention programs are in place to restore the lagoon, and try to reverse the damage. The image was acquired August 24, 2023, covers an area of 22.6 by 27.4 km, and is located at 37.7 degrees north, 0.8 degrees west. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of about 50 to 300 feet (15 to 90 meters), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on Terra. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products. The broad spectral

ISS040-E-018725 (24 June 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station photographed this image featuring most of the peninsular portion of the state of Florida. Lake Okeechobee stands out in the south central part of the state. The heavily-populated area of Miami can be traced along the Atlantic Coast near the bottom of the scene. Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center are in lower right portion of the image on the Atlantic Coast. The Florida Keys are at the south (left) portion of the scene and the Gulf Coast, including the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, is near frame center.

June 19, 2010 - Satellite view of oil leaking from the damaged Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico is visible in the sunglint part of this image.

S65-63130 (16 Dec. 1965) --- Ras Hafum, coast of Somali Republic, northeast Africa, as seen from the Gemini-6 spacecraft during its 13th revolution of Earth.

ISS002-E-5627 (23 April 2001) --- Algecira (left), the Bay of Gibraltar (Bahia de Algecira) and "The Rock of Gibraltar" (right) are featured in this detailed vertical view on the European side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Ship traffic in the Bay and Gibraltar Dock Yard can easily be seen. This digital still camera's image is part of a series of pictures centering on the Strait of Gibraltar area which was recorded by the ISS Expedition Two crew on April 23, 2001.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Satellite view of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. This image was compiled from data acquired by Landsat satellites.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

iss063e002679 (April 23, 2020) --- The northern tip of the Middle Eastern nation of Oman is pictured on the Strait of Hormuz. The International Space Station was orbiting above the Persian Gulf when this photograph was taken.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

Satellite view of the State of Meghalaya, India. This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Color satellite image of Belize, with mask. The Belize Barrier Reef runs some 190 miles (300 km) along Belize's Caribbean coastline.

S135-E-008791 (16 July 2011) --- While flying above the Atlantic Ocean, one of the members of the joint Atlantis-International Space Station crews took this photo of the Delmarva Peninsula from the orbiting complex on July 16, 2011.

S81-30396 (12-14 April 1981) --- A vertical view of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas and part of the great Bahama Bank, as photographed with a 70mm handheld camera from the space shuttle Columbia in Earth orbit. The light blue of the Bahama Bank contrasts sharply with the darker blue of the deep ocean waters. Astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, took a series of Earth photos from inside the flight deck of the Columbia, which has windows on its top side, convenient for shooting photographs as the spacecraft flew upside down above Earth. The mission frame ID number is STS001-12-322.

This image, acquired by NASA's Terra spacecraft, is of the Aaland archipelago at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia which belongs to Finland, though it enjoys autonomy from Helsinki and locals speak Swedish.

Suriname, South America, True Colour Satellite Image With Border And Mask. Satellite view of Suriname (with border and mask). This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.

This image acquired on April 13, 2000 from NASA's Terra satellite shows west side of Cape Cod Bay.

Earth Observation. iss069e055069 (August 8, 2023) -- The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Honolulu International Airport) pictured as the International Space Station orbited roughly 260 miles above the coasts of Hawaii. The airport is the largest in Hawaii, located on the island of O'ahu.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Earth observation taken by Expedition 68 crew. iss068e025025 (Nov. 25, 2022) --- Baja California's Isla del Espiritu Santo is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the Mexican state in between the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean.

Color satellite image of Savannah, Georgia, United States A powerful winter storm dropped snow over the city. Image collected on January 4, 2018 by Landsat 8 satellite.

Color satellite image of Djibouti and neighbouring countries.

. iss068e043691 (Jan. 29, 2023) - The Mexican city of Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image downlinked in folder Seattle to Florida. and released by astronaut on Twitter.

ISS013-E-14843 (6 May 2006) --- Calcite Quarry, Michigan is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 13 crewmember on the International Space Station. While the Great Lakes region of North America is well known for its importance to shipping between the United States, Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean, it is also the location of an impressive structure in the continent's bedrock -- the Michigan Basin, NASA scientists point out. The Basin looks much like a large bull's-eye defined by the arrangement of exposed rock layers, which all tilt inwards towards the center forming a huge bowl-shaped structure. While this "bowl" is not readily apparent while on the ground, detailed mapping of the rock units on a regional scale revealed the structure to geologists. The outer layers of the Basin include thick deposits of carbonates (limestone and dolomite). These carbonate rocks are mined throughout the Great Lakes region using large open-pit mines. The largest carbonate mine in the world,

iss064e037443 (Feb. 23, 2021) --- The mouth of the Mississippi River, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico south of New Orleans, Louisiana, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above.

Color satellite image of Libreville, capital city of Gabon. Image collected on April 02, 2017 by Sentinel-2 satellites.

S66-54928 (14 Sept. 1966) --- Eighty-mile beach to Port Darwin in Northern Territory, Western Australia, as seen from the Gemini-11 spacecraft during its 26th revolution of Earth.

Satellite view of Qatar (with border and mask). This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.

S88-E-5025 (12-05-98) --- Many islands in the Bahaman chain are easily recognized in this electronic still camera (ESC) image recorded by the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The photo, one of a series covering the various islands in the chain, was taken at 16:33:06 GMT, Dec. 5.

Satellite view of the State of Acre, Brazil. This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.

ISS010E12880 (13 January 2005) --- One of a series of post-tsunami digital still images which were photographed from the International Space Station on January 13, 2005 . This image is centered at 4.04 degrees north latitude and 96.28 degrees east longitude on the northwest coast of Sumatra. According to NASA scientists studying the ISS imagery, the frame shows a devegetated coastal condition, caused by the tsunami.

Earth Observation. iss069e037308 (July 26, 2023) -- Provincetown, Massachusetts is photographed from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above the coast.

Color satellite image of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, India. Navi Mumbai is a planned township located East of Mumbai. Both cities are connected by the Vashi bridge, also called Thane Creek Bridge. Image collected on May 03, 2017 by Sentinel-2 satellites.

iss062e103524 (March 20, 2020) --- The northeast coast of Somalia is pictured as the International Space Station orbited above the Gulf of Aden.

STS026-038-056 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- Tambora Caldera, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia as photographed with a 70mm handheld Hasselblad camera. Tambora is a 6-kilometer-wide and 650-meter-deep Caldera formed in 1815 as a result of a huge volcanic eruption. Gases from the eruption were ejected high into Earth's atmosphere and transported around the globe. The atmospheric gases trapped part of the incoming sunglint, resulting in extremely cold weather. In New England, snow fell in June, and freezes occurred throughout the summer of 1816, which became known as the year without a summer. This photo was shown by the STS-26 astronaut crew during its Oct. 11, l988 post-flight press conference.

Poitou-Charentes Region, France, True Colour Satellite Image. Poitou-Charentes region, France, true colour satellite image. This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.

Study Uses MODIS Data to Determine Belize Coral Reef Risk. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of the Yucatán Peninsula on Feb. 3, 2022. At the center is Belize, a country whose Caribbean coast is home to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which encompasses a vibrant network of marine environments that supports thousands of animal and plant species and drives Belize's largest industry, tourism. The barrier reef system is among about 1,200 UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world. In a paper published in November 2022 in Frontiers in Remote Sensing, researchers used data from Aqua MODIS to rank 24 protected marine areas off the Belizean coast based on the risks coral face from murky water and rising temperatures. The research also outlined how researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and counterparts in Belize used free, cloud-based data on Google Earth Engine in thei

iss063e002730 (April 23, 2020) --- The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, a river delta in the Netherlands, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited off the east coast of England.

iss064e041315 (March 11, 2021) --- An external pallet packed with old nickel-hydrogen batteries is pictured shortly after mission controllers in Houston commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release it into space. The International Space Station was orbiting 265 miles above the north coast of Chile in South America at the time this photograph was taken. The external pallet will orbit Earth between two to four years before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere. The batteries were removed during previous spacewalks and replaced with newer lithium-ion batteries to continue powering the station's systems.

Provo, Utah, on Utah Lake and Provo Bay, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the northwest United States.

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