2016 atmospheric 3D landscape over the Philippine Sea displaying towering cumulus clouds and anvil formations.
The ocean-sculpted sands of Exuma Sound in the Bahamas captured from the station in 2007.
In this 2010 photo, we see Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas surrounded by turquoise waters on our blue marble.
Volcanoes peeking through the clouds over the Galapagos Islands.
Snow blankets Krenitsyn Peak and ice nearly fills Koltsevoye Lake on Onekotan Island in Russia in March 2011. Albeit small, this island has many geological features to admire.
2006 image of northeast Madagascar.
Earth taken from orbit in honor of the Space Station’s 20th anniversary of continuous human presence.
In 2005, cumulonimbus anvil clouds over Africa caught glints of sunlight as they were photographed by astronauts on the other side of Earth’s atmosphere.
This vibrant 2008 sunset illuminated the thin layers of Earth’s atmosphere over South America.
The "Eye of the Sahara," officially known as the Richat Structure, stares up at the space station from Mauritania, Africa, in this 2001 photo.
The Perito Moreno Glacier near Lake Argentino, Argentina sticks out its ‘ice tongue’ (center) from the great heights of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field (top) in 2012.
A green northern aurora shines bright over southern Scandinavia just before midnight in April 2015. Almost as bright are the city lights of Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Gdansk.
The Sahara Desert is striped with dunes in this 2014 image captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
It’s what you don’t see in this 2017 image. Can you guess what that large, black, circular ‘hole’ is located between the night lights of Naples and Pompeii?
The Northern Lights as seen from space.
In this December 2013 photo, Chile experiences summer, but the ice-filled volcanic caldera, Sollipulli, sees wintry conditions at its summit and the bare slopes above the tree line.
Eyes looking down from the station in 2003 caught the eye of Hurricane Claudette looking up from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Northern Lights as seen from space.
Smoke rises from the Alaid Volcano on Atlasov Island, Russia in this 2009 image.
The Earth from space.
In 2002, the station crew captured the unmistakable ‘boot’ of Italy and island of Sicily, and above them, Earth’s limb.
Sea currents create a swirl of color off the Sicilian coast. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The skin of Earth - Africa: Spiderwebs. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The Apennine perfectly highlighted by lowlights and shadows. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Alpine Views (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The skin of Earth - Africa: Marble veins. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Flying over Azerbaijan in an October sunset. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The big island. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
An artist's color palette. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Liquid silk off the African coast. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
An autumn sunset over Cape Cod. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The dunes of the bay of Porto Alegre: land and ocean melting together. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
You can perceive the unique vitality of New York even in a photo. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Culiacan, Mexico. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Alpine landscapes. / Alpine views. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
From Los Angeles to San Diego, a single megalopolis without breaks. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Overflying Turkmenistan. The sun glint highlights unexpected, surprising colors and shapes. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Scripps Ocean, almost visible. (Photo: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Turns out clouds are equally as captivating when seen from above as they are when gazing up from below. Take a moment to cherish the natural beauty of our magnificent planet Earth. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Turns out clouds are equally as captivating when seen from above as they are when gazing up from below. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Our spinning globe. (Photo: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Our spinning globe. (Photo: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Our spinning globe. (Photo: Jessica Meir / NASA)
The Apennine perfectly highlighted by lowlights and shadows. (Photo & Caption: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The Mississippi River delta looking like somebody spilled their watercolors. That’s New Orleans nestled up on Lake Pontchartrain to the right of center, and Baton Rouge up above the lake. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Turns out clouds are equally as captivating when seen from above as they are when gazing up from below. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Without the actions and sacrifices of those that came before us, humankind would never have set eyes on our Earth from above. The fallen heroes of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia are present in all that we do. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
These stunning swirling waters portray the bounty of the Gironde estuary which nourishes and shapes the world-renowned vineyards of Bordeaux, France, and perhaps inspired the musings of French Impressionists. Or maybe it was just the wine. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
The Sea Of Cortez conjures thoughts of Steinbeck & Ricketts, abundant marine life and Baja surf and whale watching adventures.
If a spider had a penchant for right angles, its web might look like this. So much going on in this glowing view of the capital city of China! Goodnight Beijing!
Sspacewalk to upgrade the Space Station batteries. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Namibia’s stark and dramatic Skeleton Coast, where the elements sculpt both land and waves alike. (Photo & Caption: Christina Hammock Koch / NASA)
Behold the bright lights of fair London town! Views of city lights from above evoke images of spider webs, shattered glass, or fractal art. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Nope, not the Moon, it’s Pinacate Peaks in Sonora, Mexico. Apollo astronauts from NASA trained here, given the terrain’s similarity to the lunar surface. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Namibia’s stark and dramatic Skeleton Coast. (Photo & Caption: Christina Hammock Koch / NASA)
Annular solar eclipse (when the Moon is in line in between Earth and the Sun) from the Space Station 2019. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Earth from the International Space Station.
Stunning view of the entirety of the mighty Amazon River winding its way across South America (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Stunning view of the entirety of the mighty Amazon River winding its way across South America. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Stunning view of the entirety of the mighty Amazon River winding its way across South America. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Like a spinal column, never bending to time: the Alps. (Photo: Luca Parmitano. ESA/NASA)
Our precious planet Earth from above. (Photo & Caption: Jessica Meir / NASA)
Red fades to blue in a kaleidoscope of colors in this Amazon rainforest river. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The earthy colors of the desert contrast and enhance the fluid blue of the South Australian seas. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Visible above a blanket of clouds, Etna is turned white by snow. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Africa: like the flight of a flock of sand seagulls. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Africa: like the flight of a flock of sand seagulls. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The Gran Sasso majestically dominates the beautiful panoramas of the Central Apennines. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Australia (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Australia (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Oasis and desert. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Our magnificent Earth. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Caribbean Ocean (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Caribbean Ocean (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Middle East: shadows and desert. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
A late fall afternoon in west Africa. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Black and White Mondrian (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
(Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Escherian landscapes. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Winter landscapes: the Alps. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Our magnificent Earth. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Our magnificent Earth. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Our magnificent Earth. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Our magnificent Earth. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Sudan (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Sudan (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
The sun glint highlights the interaction between sea and land. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
A bridge across 2 worlds. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Venice, a treasure for art, history and culture. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
A contrast between the static state of the mountains and the dynamic nature of the water. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Saint Helena seems to divide the passage of clouds. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
Karaganda: unexpected colors in the Kazakhstan desert. (Photo: Luca Parmitano ESA/NASA)
