Astronaut Photography

Great Exuma Island, Bahamas
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Great Exuma Island, Bahamas

For astronauts, this is one of the most recognizable points on the planet.

Published Sep 21, 2015

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Center Pivot Systems, Bahia State
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Center Pivot Systems, Bahia State

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

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Chilubi Island, Zambia
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Chilubi Island, Zambia

The strangely shaped sand island sits in the middle of Lake Bangweulu.

Published Sep 7, 2015

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Shaping Cape Cod
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Shaping Cape Cod

Winds and wave refraction give the area around Provincetown a distinctive hook shape.

Published Aug 31, 2015

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Red Sprites Above the U.S. and Central America
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Red Sprites Above the U.S. and Central America

Within three minutes, astronauts acquired two photographs of elusive red sprite emissions above thunderstorms.

Published Aug 24, 2015

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Greater Denver and the Front Range
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Greater Denver and the Front Range

A smooth, broad bend separates mountains and plains on the edge of the Rocky Mountains.

Published Aug 10, 2015

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Typhoon Soudelor Seen from the ISS
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Typhoon Soudelor Seen from the ISS

Taiwan braces as the potent storm approaches.

Published Aug 7, 2015

Severe Storms

Adele Island
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Adele Island

The most interesting geology lies just offshore and below the water line of this Northwest Australian island.

Published Aug 3, 2015

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Activity at Klyuchevskoy Volcano
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Activity at Klyuchevskoy Volcano

This photograph from the ISS highlights one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth: the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia.

Published Jul 27, 2015

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Salt Ponds and Coastal Flats, Western Australia
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Salt Ponds and Coastal Flats, Western Australia

This stretch of Australian coast is noted for its tropical climate and its remoteness.

Published Jul 20, 2015

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The Port of Sfax
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The Port of Sfax

Tunisia’s “second city” is home to a large fishing fleet and a vast coastal redevelopment project.

Published Jul 13, 2015

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Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
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Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

Astronauts capture a glimpse of the unique coastlines and islands of Canada’s Maritime Provinces.

Published Jul 6, 2015

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Laguna Colorada
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Laguna Colorada

The salty and brightly colored lake in the Bolivian Andes is an important wetland.

Published Jun 29, 2015

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Panorama of the Pacific Northwest
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Panorama of the Pacific Northwest

The Cascades, Rockies, and Coast Mountains divide the damp coastal and dry interior landscapes of British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

Published Jun 22, 2015

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Planetary Exploration on Earth
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Planetary Exploration on Earth

In June 2015, a team of scientists, journalism students, and an astronaut conducted a geological field study similar to what future astronauts might have to do when they first land on the Moon or Mars.

Published Jun 15, 2015

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Aswan High Dam
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Aswan High Dam

The vast dam in southern Egypt is one of the largest earthen embankment dams in the world.

Published Jun 8, 2015

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Good Air and Brown Water
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Good Air and Brown Water

Buenos Aires, the largest city in Argentina, sits near the outflow of the second largest river in South America.

Published Jun 1, 2015

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Just Another Night Over Java
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Just Another Night Over Java

This astronaut photograph includes lights from several sources: cities, roads, fishing boats, gas flares, lightning, and even glowing air.

Published May 30, 2015

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Lake Issyk Kul
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Lake Issyk Kul

Situated in the central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, it is the second largest mountain lake in the world and an important site for biodiversity and Silk Road history.

Published May 25, 2015

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Rann of Kutch, India
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Rann of Kutch, India

Once submerged under an arm of the Arabian Sea, this dry lowland is now rich in salt.

Published May 18, 2015

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Scandinavia at Night
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Scandinavia at Night

City lights trace the coastlines, while moonlight illuminates the snow and clouds.

Published May 11, 2015

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Tsiribihina River, Madagascar
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Tsiribihina River, Madagascar

Muddy river flow builds up the delta and the coastline on the island’s west coast.

Published May 4, 2015

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Florianópolis, Brazil
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Florianópolis, Brazil

Astronauts learn to sense the way sunlight brings out different features in the water and around coastal cities.

Published Apr 27, 2015

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Rivers and Snow in the Himalayas
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Rivers and Snow in the Himalayas

Long shadows and deep gullies make for a majestic landscape.

Published Apr 20, 2015

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Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
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Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

In Colombia, high mountains show a rare sight in the tropics: snow and ice.

Published Apr 13, 2015

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Cairo at Night
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Cairo at Night

Home to one-fifth of Egypt’s population, it is the largest city in the Middle East and Africa’s second largest.

Published Apr 6, 2015

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Typhoon Maysak from the Space Station
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Typhoon Maysak from the Space Station

To the astronauts, the eye of the storm seemed like a black hole from a sci-fi movie.

Published Apr 1, 2015

Atmosphere Severe Storms

Lake Chad and a Bodele Dust Plume
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Lake Chad and a Bodele Dust Plume

Desert meets woodland in Africa, punctuated by an ancient lake.

Published Mar 30, 2015

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Texas and the Gulf at Night
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Texas and the Gulf at Night

Cities, moonlight, and fossil-fuel industries frame the Gulf of Mexico with light.

Published Mar 23, 2015

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A Sign of Surging on Bivachny Glacier
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A Sign of Surging on Bivachny Glacier

The looping medial moraines on Tajikistan’s Bivachny glacier offer a clue of periods when it surged rapidly forward.

Published Mar 17, 2015

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