Astronauts are taught to concentrate on the shapes of coastlines for a visual cue about where they are when circling the planet. The nose of Cape Karmel and the bay that protects Haifa are shapes that stand out.
Published Mar 7, 2016
Crimea is a small piece of the world with a large role in modern history.
Published Feb 29, 2016
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station take special care to acquire crisp night shots.
Published Feb 22, 2016
Unusual stream patterns in Western Australia seem to have origins inland and in the past.
Published Feb 15, 2016
The reflection of the Moon on the sea surface reveals highly complex patterns on the sea surface.
Published Feb 8, 2016
The lake and surrounding landscape are characterized by many flavors and mixtures of salt.
Published Feb 1, 2016
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot this photograph looking north into the snow-covered landscape of Canada’s Coast Mountains, the Canadian Rockies, and Vancouver Island.
Published Jan 25, 2016
An astronaut’s lens captures the diversity of textures in a central Iranian landscape.
Published Jan 19, 2016
Ash streamed from one of El Salvador’s most active volcanos in January 2016.
Published Jan 13, 2016
The convention facilities, missions, The Alamo, and the overall historical character of the city bring 26 million visitors every year.
Published Jan 11, 2016
The Witwatersrand and Vredefort impact crater stand out in this diverse landscape.
Published Jan 4, 2016
Crews aboard the International Space Station often look for signs of human activity along the coastlines of the Persian Gulf, where a growing Middle Eastern population has been moving.
Published Dec 28, 2015
Astronauts captured this view of two snow-covered volcanoes in southern Kamchatka, Russia.
Published Dec 21, 2015
A low sun angle add three-dimensional relief to a flat landscape in the desert.
Published Dec 14, 2015
Shadows provide three-dimensional perspective for astronauts looking down on mountains.
Published Dec 7, 2015
As the highest volcano on the island of Hawaii, it is an ideal location for astronomical observatories.
Published Nov 30, 2015
Sitting atop the Andes plateau on the border between Peru and Bolivia, the lake is the highest major body of navigable water in the world and the largest lake in South America.
Published Nov 23, 2015
Modern international shipping meets the ancient world in the famous canal.
Published Nov 16, 2015
One of the larger islands in the remote Cook Island chain of the Central Pacific has the classic features of a coral atoll.
Published Nov 9, 2015
Two rivers meet near the port city of Santarém in the interior of Brazil.
Published Nov 2, 2015
Some parts of the world are marked by such unique human patterns that astronauts learn which country they are overflying just by looking out the windows on the International Space Station.
Published Oct 26, 2015
The capital and largest city in Coahuila is sometimes called the “Athens of Mexico.”
Published Oct 19, 2015
An astronaut shot this photograph of a complex shoreline environment in southern Madagascar.
Published Oct 12, 2015
This photograph shows one of the few places on Earth where an international boundary can be seen at night.
Published Oct 5, 2015
Fish farms have been constructed at many points along the coastline of Liaoning Province, but this group of basins facing the Yellow Sea is the largest.
Published Sep 28, 2015
For astronauts, this is one of the most recognizable points on the planet.
Published Sep 21, 2015
As Brazil’s economy rapidly expands, center-pivot technology is being introduced to counter the effects of irregular rains and drought in the drier interior.
Published Sep 14, 2015
The strangely shaped sand island sits in the middle of Lake Bangweulu.
Published Sep 7, 2015
Winds and wave refraction give the area around Provincetown a distinctive hook shape.
Published Aug 31, 2015
Within three minutes, astronauts acquired two photographs of elusive red sprite emissions above thunderstorms.
Published Aug 24, 2015
