20 Amazing Pictures of Earth as Seen From Space

The Andes
Image: Frank Borman & James A. Lovell

The Earth is a truly beautiful and fascinating place – even more so when seen from Space as distances and proportions take on a whole new dimension. Is this how ants see their world, we wonder? Follow us on a tour of our Blue Planet as seen from Space and be ready for some stunning pictures.

Let’s begin our tour of the Earth from Space by looking at the Earth at night:

Image: NASA

This is a composite picture taken at various times during the night that was then pasted together to create the appearance of Earth at night. Or did you think it is night all over the world at the same time?

Amazing how bright and clearly visible some of the urban areas are. Let’s take a closer look.

Here are the Americas at night:

And Europe, Africa and the Middle East:

Asia and Australia:
Asia and Australia at night

Not to miss Antarctica, here’s a beautiful and rare full view of the seventh continent:

Image: Dave Pape

Staying with the winter mood, below is an image of Scandinavia in winter – truly a pretty one. One can clearly make out the many fjords, etched into the Norwegian coastline. Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern in Sweden do not completely freeze in winter, whereas Finland’s many lakes are too small to be clearly seen from Space.

A winter wonderland – snow-covered Scandinavia:
Scandinavia in winter
Image: NASA

Speaking of snow and ice, here’s Greenland’s eastern coast with inland snow slowly making its way to the coastal lands while the fjords are bordered by the icy waters from the sea.

Greenland’s coast just before the onset of winter:
Greenlands eastern coast
Image: NASA

Another extreme climate zone is the Saharan desert. Its vastness seems graspable only from Space:
The Sahara desert
Image: NASA

Islands are a popular photographic motif with astronauts who snap them again and again. Maybe it’s because they are clearly marked, self-contained entities, similar to a spaceship. Here’s a selection of a few islands that caught our eye.

At more than 2,000 miles from the closest populations on Tahiti and Chile, Easter Island is one of the most remote places on Earth. Even the astronauts orbiting were closer: only 210 miles above.

Easter Island:

Image: NASA

Hawaii, looking somewhat like a pancake with a dash of powdered sugar:
Hawaii
Image: NASA

And further east, Bahrain, the island country in the Persian Gulf:
Bahrain
Image: NASA

Ireland, looking truly green and somewhat like a bear’s paw:
Ireland
Image: NASA

Cyprus, the Eurasian island state, with Turkey just above:
Cyrpus
Image: NASA

Like a key – the barren and mountainous Auckland Islands south of New Zealand:

Image: NASA

Peninsulas with their distinct shapes must be pretty good landmarks for astronauts trying to find where on Earth, er in Space, they are. Who would mistake Florida’s characteristic outline for anything else, for example?

An oblique view of Florida with the Florida Keys (left) and the Bahama banks (right). Lake Okeechobee is clearly visible in the middle of the state:
Florida
Image: NASA

Here’s a view of the triangular Sinai Peninsula and the Dead Sea Rift. In the centre, the Red Sea:
Mt. Sinai
Image: NASA

Manhattan is also a peninsula; here with a smoke plume on September 11, taken by Expedition 3 crew of the International Space Station:
Greater NY area on Sept. 11
Image: NASA

Water bodies like rivers, bays and straits also make for good landmarks and scenic pictures. See for yourself:

The Andes, very snake-like and glistening in the sun, as seen when looking south from northern Bolivia:

Image: Frank Borman & James A. Lovell

The Ganges River Delta is the world’s largest intertidal delta. Space Shuttle photographs help monitor the delta’s environmental and geological changes over time. Huge silt and clay deposits create a constantly changing maze of islands and waterways in the Bay of Bengal.

The Ganges River Delta in India and Bangladesh:
Ganges Delta
Image: NASA

The San Francisco Bay Area, just featured on Environmental Graffiti in our “from above” series, now as seen from Space. An impressive sight with the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz Island and Treasure Island clearly visible.

The San Francisco Bay Area:
SF Bay Area
Image: NASA

Here’s the Strait of Gibraltar as seen from Space, slightly rotated. The Strait separates Spain (here on the left) from Morocco (on the right). Those looking really closely will spot the Rock of Gibraltar as a tiny arrowhead.

Strait of Gibraltar:

Image: NASA