Astronaut Photography

Lake Balkhash Under the Moon
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Lake Balkhash Under the Moon

The central Asian lake is fed by snowmelt but tugged by the Moon.

Published Mar 25, 2018

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Lake Darodzan in Sunglint
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Lake Darodzan in Sunglint

Sunlight teases out the patterns on this lake and landscape in Iran.

Published Mar 19, 2018

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A Plateau of Chasms
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A Plateau of Chasms

Tassili n’Ajjer was once shaped by water, but the plateau gives shape to the sands below.

Published Mar 12, 2018

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Lake Garda
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Lake Garda

Italy’s largest lake is situated where the southern Alps meet the Po River Valley.

Published Mar 5, 2018

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One World, One Orbit
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One World, One Orbit

Astronauts captured simultaneous moments in time with citizens on the ground.

Published Mar 3, 2018

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Bonneville Salt Flats
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Bonneville Salt Flats

From the vantage point of the ISS, landscape patterns reveal the intermingling of older geologic formations and more recent landforms in this region.

Published Feb 25, 2018

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Smoky Andean Valleys
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Smoky Andean Valleys

Astronauts got an oblique look at the high plains and mountains of Bolivia.

Published Feb 19, 2018

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Eastern Sayan Mountains
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Eastern Sayan Mountains

This largely uninhabited region has served for centuries as a crossroads for journeyers and traders between Mongolia and Russia.

Published Feb 11, 2018

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Emi Koussi and Wind Grooves
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Emi Koussi and Wind Grooves

Lava and strong winds give texture and shape to the dry interior of Chad.

Published Feb 5, 2018

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Agriculture Marks the Landscape in Central Ukraine
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Agriculture Marks the Landscape in Central Ukraine

More than 70 percent of the country’s land area is farmed or grazed.

Published Jan 29, 2018

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Rhône River Delta
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Rhône River Delta

Unlike the mouths of most large rivers in Europe, this region is dominated by grassy and marshy wilderness, not by a major city.

Published Jan 22, 2018

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Castellanus Cloud Tower
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Castellanus Cloud Tower

A massive cloud rises above Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Published Jan 15, 2018

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Bellinzona, Switzerland
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Bellinzona, Switzerland

Valley communes have been growing and consolidating in the Alpine foothills.

Published Jan 1, 2018

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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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