Astronaut Photography

Same Islands, Two Views
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Water

An Eagle Takes Off for Home
Image

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

Image of the Day Human Presence

Florida’s Rocks and Rocketeers
Image

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

Image of the Day Land

Long View of the Mississippi River Delta
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Water Floods

Roseburg, Oregon
Image

Roseburg, Oregon

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

Published Jun 30, 2019

Image of the Day Human Presence

Raikoke Erupts
Image

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

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Volcanoes

Viewing Venus from the Space Station
Image

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

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Ship Tracks, Aleutian Islands
Image

Ship Tracks, Aleutian Islands

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

Published Jun 16, 2019

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water

Amistad Reservoir
Image

Amistad Reservoir

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

Published Jun 9, 2019

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Flathead Lake, Montana
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Northern California Coastline
Image

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

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land

Glint of the Irrawaddy Delta
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Water

A Wide View of Luzon
Image

A Wide View of Luzon

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

Published May 12, 2019

Image of the Day Land

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

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

Image of the Day Land Water

Coal and Cattle in Southern Queensland
Image

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

Image of the Day Human Presence

Wet and Dry Morocco
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Water

Grand Canyon Under Snow
Image

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

Image of the Day Land

Cloudy Congo River Basin
Image

Cloudy Congo River Basin

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

Published Mar 3, 2019

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water

Cologne, Germany
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Missouri Plateau
Image

Missouri Plateau

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

Published Feb 18, 2019

Image of the Day Land

Ancient Rocks, Modern Dunes
Image

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

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Icy Moose River
Image

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

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

O Christmas Tree! from Space
Image

O Christmas Tree! from Space

Shaped like an evergreen conifer, Lake Dukan is the largest lake in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Published Dec 25, 2018

Image of the Day Water Human Presence

All of You on the Good Earth
Image

All of You on the Good Earth

These iconic photos are not new, but their message never gets old.

Published Dec 24, 2018

Image of the Day Life Human Presence

A Spacecraft's Journey to the Space Station
Image

A Spacecraft's Journey to the Space Station

As NASA's latest care package heads toward the International Space Station, it traveled over beautiful Earth landscapes—from scenic snowscapes to desolate deserts.

Published Dec 21, 2018

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

The Rhône River in Geneva
Image

The Rhône River in Geneva

Alpine in character and perennial in flow, the river is a crucial resource for hydroelectricity, irrigation, transportation, and tourism.

Published Nov 25, 2018

Image of the Day Human Presence

The Horn of Africa, Somalia
Image

The Horn of Africa, Somalia

This coastline is rugged, with mountains, dry river beds, a small delta, and steep cliffs that cast shadows on the landscape.

Published Nov 24, 2018

Image of the Day Land Water

The Largest River Delta in Europe
Image

The Largest River Delta in Europe

The Volga Delta has grown significantly over the past 130 years.

Published Nov 12, 2018

Image of the Day Land Life Water

A Close-Up View of the Betsiboka
Image

A Close-Up View of the Betsiboka

The braided river carries iron-rich sediment from the high central plateau and mountains down through complex, woven channels and vegetated islands.

Published Nov 4, 2018

Image of the Day Land Water

A Dusty View of the Al Qassim Region
Image

A Dusty View of the Al Qassim Region

A line of thunderclouds marched across the desert of central Saudi Arabia on the way toward Yemen.

Published Oct 28, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land