Earth Observations from Space

Captivating images of Earth from space, showing weather patterns, pollution, and landscapes. Varying textures and colors depict environmental changes.

ISS043E045520 (03/23/2015) --- In the northern part of the Earth this observation photo was taken from the International Space Station by members of the Expedition 43 crew on Mar. 23, 2015 showing sun reflected off snow and ice with clouds and shadows making a surreal landscape.
ISS043E045520 (03/23/2015) --- In the northern part of the Earth this observation photo was taken from the International Space Station by members of the Expedition 43 crew on Mar. 23, 2015 showing sun reflected off snow and ice with clouds and shadows making a surreal landscape.
276 assets in this story
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Canada.
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ISS012-E-21250 (2 March 2006) --- Dust and smog in northeast China are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 12 crewmember on the International Space Station. Much of the land surface is obscured in this oblique image of the North China Plain and parts of Inner Mongolia. In the center of the view a mass of gray smog—mainly industrial pollution and smoke from domestic burning—obscures Beijing and surrounding cities. Numerous plumes with their source points appear within the mass. Beijing suffers some of the worst air pollution in the world from these chronic sources, and the characteristic colors and textures of the smog can be easily seen through windows of the International Space Station. The coastline of Bo Hai Bay, 300 kilometers east of Beijing, is visible at left. The light brown material in Bo Hai Bay is sediment from the Yellow and other rivers. Separated from the smog mass by a band of puffy, white cumulus clouds is a light brown plume of dust. The li
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Crewmember indicates Middle East man-made Islands. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
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ISS043E045520 (03/23/2015) --- In the northern part of the Earth this observation photo was taken from the International Space Station by members of the Expedition 43 crew on Mar. 23, 2015 showing sun reflected off snow and ice with clouds and shadows making a surreal landscape.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as the Middle East, Israel.
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iss036e003571 (May 21, 2013) --- Big Bend National Park in Texas is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited about 250 miles above.
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ISS033-E-022852 (18 Nov. 2012) --- This view, photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station, highlights the 24-kilometer wide Aso caldera on the Japanese Island of Kyushu, formed during four explosive eruptions that took place from 300,000 to 90,000 years ago, according to scientists. These major eruptions produced pyroclastic flows and airfall tephra that covered much of Kyushu. As the eruptions emptied the magma chambers beneath the ancient volcanoes, they collapsed forming the caldera. Shadows highlight the caldera rim at left, while green vegetation covers slopes between the rim and caldera floor at right. Volcanic activity continued in the caldera following its formation, represented by 17 younger volcanoes including Naka-dake at center. Naka-dake is one of Japans most active volcanoes, with ash plumes produced from the summit crater as recently as June 2011. Another prominent crater, Kusasenri, is visible to the west of Naka-dake. This crater
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS). Per Twitter message This crisp, sun-lit cloud edge could make one mistakenly think there is a continent below.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 37 crew. Per Twitter message Early morning fog in the river valleys of Ohio and West Virginia.
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ISS036-E-036732 (14 Aug. 2013) --- One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station photographed this image of the Indus Valley in Pakistan with its huge August floods brilliantly visible in sunglint. A solar array panel belonging to a docked Russian vehicle is at upper left foreground.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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iss061e006541 (Oct. 15, 2019) --- The arid, mountainous region of Helmand Province in Afghanistan is pictured as the International Space Station orbited 253 miles above the central Asian nation.
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iss070e030773 (Nov. 26, 2023) --- The Niger River flows through Mali creating an inland delta in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the African nation.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter and downlinked in folder Baikonur Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Caspian Sea, etc.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Europe and Mediterranean.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.
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iss057e106175 (Nov. 24, 2018) --- The International Space Station was flying 252 miles above the Indian Ocean when an Expedition 57 crew member photographed the southern Somali coast.
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ISS007-E-12915 (18 August 2003) --- This view featuring Egypt’s Great pyramids of Giza (right center) was taken by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Giza is a royal burial place, commissioned and built by pharaohs during the fourth dynasty around 2550 BC. Today, Giza is a rapidly growing region of Cairo. Population growth in Egypt continues to soar, leading to new construction. New roads for large new developments are obvious in the desert hills northwest and southwest of the pyramids.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 37 crew. Per Twitter message intersecting clouds over the Caspian Sea & Caucasus Mountains.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 37 crew.
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STS039-81-00BC (28 April-6 May 1991) --- A variety of stratus clouds is represented in this picture. The clouds are backdropped against the sunglinted northern Pacific Ocean. One of Discovery's seven crewmembers aimed a 70mm handheld camera through an overhead window on the aft flight deck to obtain the image.
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This photograph of Jupiter's satellite Io shows what appears to be a volcanic caldera that is venting gasses. Voyager.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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(30 May 2008) --- Pyramids of Dashur, Egypt are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 17 crewmember on the International Space Station. .
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Every day of every year, NASA satellites provide useful data about our home planet, and along the way, some beautiful images as well. This video includes satellite images of Earth in 2014 from NASA and its partners as well as photos and a time lapse video from the International Space Station. Weve also included a range of data visualizations, model runs, and a conceptual animation that were produced in 2014 (but in some cases might have been utilizing data from earlier years.)
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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December 26, 2002 - Satellite view of Amarillo, Texas, covered in snow.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter and downlinked in folder Japan, etc.
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iss062e118300 (March 30, 2020) --- The Manicouagan Crater in Quebec, Canada, is a favorite photographic landmark for astronauts which is near the height of the International Space Station's orbital trek of 51.6 degrees
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STS099-735-046 (11-22 February 2000) ---Mt. Everest (29,028 feet or 8,848 meters), is featured in the center of this 70mm frame photographed by one of the STS-99 crew members. Everest, also called Qomolangma Feng, is just north of the border between Nepal and China. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are products of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. With the continuing northward march of India, the crust of the Earth has become thicker and the Tibetan Plateau has been uplifted to an average elevation of about 15,000 feet. According to NASA scientists studying the STS-99 imagery, fossil-bearing limestones are at the summit of the mountain. The scientists say that these limestones were deposited beneath the sea around 510 million years ago (Cambrian to Ordovician time). Glaciers, moraines, and outwash plains are spectacularly displayed. Glacial meltwaters in this area feed the Arun River, eventually reaching the Ganges on the plains of India.
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. iss069e000819 (April 4, 2023) - The Faiyum Oasis (upper left) in Egypt, immediately west of the Nile river and south of the nation's capital of Cairo, is pictured from an external high definition camera on the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above.
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SL4-140-4111 (14 Jan. 1974) --- The Aleutian Islands area of Alaska, as photographed from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit by one of the Skylab 4 crewmen. The camera used was a hand-held Hasselblad, with SO-368 medium-speed Ektachrome. Here is another macro scale phenomenon which is difficult to observe except from a space platform. The Aleutian Islands and clouds with very elaborate van Karman vortices was photographed on Jan. 14, 1974. In addition to the vortices the waves in the clouds due to the mountains on the islands are very evident. In fact, the easiest way to find the mountains is to start with their atmospheric disturbance and work back to the mountain.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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ISS036-E-015292 (3 July 2013) --- A number of Quebec, Canada wildfires southeast of James Bay were recorded as part of a series of photographs taken and downlinked to Earth on July 3-4 by the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station. This image was recorded on July 3.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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iss060e000604 (June 26, 2019) --- The Murghab river flows into the oasis city of Mary in the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. At left, is the Hanhowuz Reservoir which plays an important role in agriculture in southeastern Turkmenistan. The International Space Station was orbiting 256 miles above the Central Asian nation when this photograph was taken.
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ISS034-E-056100 (21 Feb. 2013) --- One of the most recognizable natural features on Earth, when viewing from space, is the Manicouagan Crater, one of the oldest known impact craters on Earth. Photographed by one of the Expedition 34 crew members onboard the International Space Station, the crater is located primarily in Manicouagan Regional County Municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Québec, Canada, about 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of the city of Baie-Comeau. Manicouagan is one of the oldest large astroblemes still visible on the surface. The crater is a multiple-ring structure about 100 kilometers (60 miles) across, with its 70 kilometer (40 mile) diameter inner ring its most prominent feature; it contains a 70 kilometer (40 mile) diameter annular lake, the Manicouagan Reservoir, surrounding an inner island plateau.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS). Photo downlinked to folder Colorado wild fires.
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ISS008-E-16355 (15 February 2004) --- A massive sandstorm over the Persian Gulf state of Qatar blows southward toward southeastern Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in this image photographed by an Expedition 8 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
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In the high plains of the Andes in Bolivia, Lake Poopo has virtually vanished, as shown in this image from NASA's Terra spacecraft. Once covering over 3,000 square kilometers, the lake essentially dried up in 2015.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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iss063e028234 (June 16, 2020) --- Lake Nasser, a vast reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above northeast Africa.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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AS09-26A-3801A (12 March 1969) --- Colored infrared photograph of the Phoenix, Arizona area, taken on March 12, 1969, by one of the four synchronized cameras of the Apollo 9 Earth Resources Survey (SO65) Experiment. At 11:28 a.m. (EST) when this picture was made the Apollo 9 spacecraft was at an altitude of 127 nautical miles, and the sun elevation was 32 degrees above the horizon. The location of the point on Earth's surface at which the four-camera combination was aimed was 33 degrees 25 minutes north latitude, and 112 degrees 18 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.
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ISS042E243192 (02/11/2015) --- This huge Desert in northern Africa is an image tweeted by NASA astronaut Terry Virts on Feb. 11, 2015 from the International Space Station. He wanted to share with his Twitter fans the enormous size of the Murzuq Desert #Libya #Africa .
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iss063e079157 (Aug. 28, 2020) --- The International Space Station was orbiting above Egypt when an Expedition 63 crew member photographed a portion of Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
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Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis September 27, 1997.
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ISS002-E-5469 (13 April 2001) --- The Atlantic Coast of parts of southern Florida was captured with a digital still camera by one of the Expedition Two crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Among recognizable points are Palm Beach, West Palm Beach (near center frame), the Indian River (near the coast) and Lake Okeechobee (top center). This was one of a series of images of southern Florida that werecaptured by the Expedition Two crew on April 13, 2001.
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ISS010-E-13079 (15 January 2005) --- Tsunami damage, northwestern Sumatra (Indonesia) is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). On December 26, 2004 a large (magnitude 9.0) earthquake occurred off the western coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. Scientists believe the earthquake was caused by the release of stresses accumulated as the India tectonic plate is overridden by the Burma tectonic plate. Movement of the seafloor due to the earthquake generated a tsunami, or seismic sea wave, that affected coastal regions around the Indian Ocean. The northwestern Sumatra coastline in particular suffered extensive damage and loss of life. This photo, along with image ISS010-E-13088, illustrates damage along the southwestern coast of Aceh Province in the vicinity of the city of Lho’ Kruet, Indonesia. Large areas of bare and disturbed soil (brownish gray) previously covered with vegetation are visible along the coastline
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ISS043E182476 (05/08/2015) ---The US rugged southern Utah area is highlighted in this image captured by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station May, 8th, 2015. The area shown is the Forbidden Canyon, Rainbow Plateau and San Juan River.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Aukland.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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ISS022-E-008285 (9 Dec. 2009) --- Llullaillaco volcano on the Argentina-Chile border is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 22 crew member on the International Space Station. The summit of Llullaillaco volcano has an elevation of 6,739 meters above sea level, making it the highest historically active volcano in the world. The current Llullaillaco stratovolcano a typically high, cone-shaped volcano built from successive layers of thick lava flows and eruption products like ash and rock fragments is built on top of an older stratovolcano. The last explosive eruption of the volcano occurred in 1877 based on historical records. This detailed photograph of Llullaillaco illustrates an interesting volcanic feature known as a coulee (top left). Coulees are formed from highly viscous, thick lavas that flow onto a steep surface; as they flow slowly downwards, the top of the flow cools and forms a series of parallel ridges oriented at 90 degrees to the direction of flow (some
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ISS018-E-005321 (24 Oct. 2008) --- The Hell's Half Acre Lava Field in Idaho is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 18 crewmember on the International Space Station. Located in eastern Idaho, the Hell's Half Acre Lava Field is the easternmost large field associated with the Snake River Plain that arcs across the center of the state. The abundant lava flows and other volcanic rocks of the Snake River Plain are thought to be the result of southwest passage of the North American tectonic plate over a fixed mantle plume or "hotspot". According to scientists, Volcanism attributed to the hotspot began approximately 15 million years ago in the western portion of the Plain, with lava fields becoming younger to the east -- with lavas erupted approximately 4,100 years ago, Hell's Half Acre is one of the youngest lava fields. Today, the center of hotspot volcanism is located in Yellowstone National Park and feeds the extensive geyser system there. Portions of the Hell's Half Acre
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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This image taken by NASA's Opportunity rover's HiRISE, a high-resolution camera onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the dust storm over Perseverance Valley has substantially cleared. Opportunity appears as a blip in this image taken on Thursday, September 20, 2018, from about 166 miles (268 kilometers) above the surface. More information is available at
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Sliced rock crystals
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Chilean volcanos.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as European pass.
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iss064e002258 (Oct. 28, 2020) --- The upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve in Mexico is pictured from the International Space Station.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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ISS017-E-019616 (16 Oct. 2008) --- A dust storm in Turkmenistan, Central Asia is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 17 crewmember on the International Space Station. This west-looking view, taken with a short focal length lens from the station, shows a wide swath of central Asia--from Afghanistan, along the length of Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea. Winds blowing down the largest river valley in the region, the Amudarya, were strong enough to raise a large dust storm. Dust appears as a light brown mass extending into the center of the image from the lower right. Diffuse dust from prior windy weather appears over much of the area making a regional haze that clouds much of the landscape detail. The haze partly obscures the irrigated agriculture in Turkmenistan and entirely obscures the Caspian Sea. Numerous rivers rise in the Hindu Kush mountain complex (lower left). The Band-i Amir River is a major tributary of the main regional river, the Amudarya, which it reaches vi
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Holden Crater in southern Margaritifer Terra displays a series of finely layered deposits appearing beneath a cap of alluvial fan materials on its floor. This image was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
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iss059e013142 (April 5, 2019) --- From an altitude of 255 miles, an Expedition 59 crewmember photographed the Richat Structure, or the "Eye of the Sahara," in northwestern Mauritania. The circular geologic feature is thought to be caused by an uplifted domegeologists would classify it as a domed anticlinethat has been eroded to expose the originally flat rock layers.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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STS79-E-5385 (16 - 26 September 1996) --- The Atlas Mountains, as seen from the Space Shuttle Atlantis, apparently have not changed much in 35 years of Earth observations from space as testified by astronaut Jerome (Jay) Apt, who took this picture with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC). Astronaut John Glenn on NASA's MA-6 mission, took the first image of this area from space.
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iss056e096830 (July 15, 2018) --- The mountainous and glacial Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile is pictured as the International Space Station began a quick orbital pass over the South American continent.
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S65-18740 (23 March 1965) --- Astronaut John W. Young took this picture during the second orbit of the Gemini-Titan 3 three-orbit mission as the spacecraft Molly Brown passed over Northern Mexico at an altitude of 90 miles. The light-brown circular area at the lower right is the Sonoran Desert. The lower portion of the picture is Mexico, and the upper part is California. Young used a hand-held modified 70mm Hasselblad camera with color film. The lens setting was 250th of a second at f/11.
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The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of central China on January 23, 2013 at 04 05 UTC. The image shows extensive haze over the region. In areas where the ground is visible, some of the landscape is covered with lingering snow.
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Kuwait, True Colour Satellite Image With Border. Kuwait, true colour satellite image with border. North of the image, the Shatt al Arab river flows into the Persian Gulf. Kuwait City (center) is the capital city of Kuwait. This image was compiled from data acquired by LANDSAT 5 & 7 satellites.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. Image downlinked in folder CA California.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Canada.
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Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the ISS.
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Color satellite image of Lob Nor in 1987.
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Lake Tengiz in Kazakhstan is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Central Asian nation.
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Amu Darya Delta, Uzbekistan, True Colour Satellite Image. True colour satellite image of Amu Darya Delta in Uzbekistan. The Amu Darya River flows into the Aral Sea. Composite image using LANDSAT 5 data.
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Earth observation taken during a day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS).
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ISS034-E-029105 (15 Jan. 2013) --- One of the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station photographed this image of the Piccaninny impact structure, located within the semi-arid Purnululu National Park and World Heritage site in Australia. The structure is believed by most scientists to have been formed less than 360 million years ago. Specifically, the 7.5 kilometer diameter structure forms a roughly circular plateau within the striking sandstone cone towers of the Bungle Bungle Range. Geological evidence indicating an impact structure includes regional folding and faulting patterns both within and surrounding the plateau. Features confirming an impact, such as shock textures (indicating rapid compression, melting, and fracturing during impact) in rocks and minerals have not yet been found; this, according to scientists, is perhaps due to removal during erosion of an original crater.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 38 crewmember. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth observation taken during day pass by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS). Per Twitter message Looking southwest over northern Africa. Libya, Algeria, Niger.
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This image acquired by NASA's Terra spacecraft on March 6, 2009, shows early March eruptions of Karymsky volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula left the usually white snow a gray ashy color.
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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.
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Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Himalayans (maybe Everest).