These gorgeous pictures of Earth from space present our planet's colorful, bizarre geography from a stunning new perspective.
In these images taken by both satellites and astronauts living on the International Space Station, Earth’s strange and colorful terrain comes into focus from a fascinating new perspective. From the Sahara desert to coral reefs off the coast of Africa, the most beautiful places in the world look positively alien as seen from space.
Still, our planet remains a work of art whether it’s covered in ice or preparing for a hurricane. Here are 21 stunning pictures of Earth from space that prove just that:
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly showed off the surprisingly colorful Sahara desert in this photo posted to Twitter on October 17, 2015.Scott Kelly/Twitter
Jeff Williams, another NASA astronaut, posted this photo of neon green auroras south of Australia to Twitter on June 24, 2016. Jeff Williams/Twitter
Williams also shared this photo of the Richat Structure, an enormous eroded dome in the Sahara, to Twitter on June 30, 2016. Jeff Williams/Twitter
On July 6, 2016, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of phytoplankton in the Barents Sea. NASA
On April 8, 2015, astronauts on the International Space Station captured this photo of Paris at night.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this picture of Adele Island (off the coast of Australia) on June 11, 2015. NASA
The plume from the September 11th attacks in New York as photographed from space by NASA.
Scott Kelly shared this photo of the Bahamas on Twitter on January 19, 2016. Scott Kelly/Twitter
European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake captured ice on the coast of British Columbia from the International Space Station on December 31, 2015. NASA/ESA/Tim Peake
The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on NASA's Landsat 8 satellite took this photo of gouges left by ice in the Caspian Sea.NASA
On May 31, 2016, the Expedition 47 crew aboard the International Space Station took this photo of beams of light shining over central Asia. NASA
The Cleveland volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands erupting on May 23, 2009.NASA via Getty Images
The space shuttle Endeavour prepares to dock with the International Space Station on November 16, 2008.NASA via Getty Images
Earth's atmosphere against a starry night sky, along with a wing of the Endeavour space shuttle, can be seen in this photo taken on May 28, 2011. NASA via Getty Images
Scott Kelly took this photo of Hurricane Patricia gathering over Mexico from the International Space Station on October 23, 2015. Scott Kelly/NASA via Getty Images
Astronaut Tim Peake took this photo of the Mediterranean lit up at night on January 25, 2016. NASA/ESA/Tim Peake
Peake captured rare high-altitude noctilucent or "night shining" clouds from the International Space Station on May 29, 2016.NASA/ESA/Tim Peake
Jeff Williams photographed the northwestern coast of Australia on March 29, 2016. NASA/Jeff Williams
Tim Peake posted this photo of coral reefs off the coast of Mozambique to his Twitter on May 29, 2016. Tim Peake/Twitter
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite took this photo of clouds and ice over the Okhotsk Sea on February 8, 2016. NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS
Tim Peake compared Iran's Great Salt Desert to Mars in this photo posted to Twitter on June 7, 2016. Tim Peake/Twitter
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took this photo of the Horn of Africa from the International Space Station on January 30, 2015. NASA/ESA/Samantha Cristoforetti
After seeing these captivating pictures of Earth from space, check out some of the best photos that astronaut Scott Kelly took from space. Then, enjoy 25 vintage Apollo photos that place you at the scenes of some of NASA's most important moments.
