Satellite imagery provides a unique perspective on our planet and can encompass a wide range of different scientific disciplines including climate change, weather, volcanic eruptions and even animal behavior. Every week, we take a bird's eye view of Earth, and see how it affects the people living on it.
See more stunning pictures of Earth
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Ghostly green lakes merge in Australian outback after 2 years of heavy rainEarth from space A 2024 satellite photo shows a series of ephemeral lakes that merged into a single emerald structure in Australia's Northern Territory following two years of extreme rainfall.
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Rare sunlight trick transforms Pacific island into a giant silver 'magnifying glass'Earth from space A 2023 astronaut photo captured a "sunglint" illuminating the sea surrounding one of the Solomon Islands. The rare phenomenon also transformed the Pacific's largest lake into a shining silver "lens."
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Giant underwater plume blasts into swirling cloud 'street' in the East China SeaEarth from space A recent satellite photo captured a series of clouds sculpted by von Kármán vortices from a volcano on South Korea's Jeju Island. A giant multicolor plume, ejected by China's Yangtze River, is also visible in the image.
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Explosive 'Mountain of God' spits out world's fastest-flowing lavaEarth from space A 2020 astronaut photo shows the unique structure of Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active stratovolcano in Tanzania that was recently adorned with a bright white "ash cone." The explosive peak produces a rare type of lava that is unusually cool but travels remarkably quickly.
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World's highest frozen lake shatters along disputed border between China and IndiaEarth from space A 2024 astronaut photo shows the icy surface of Pangong Lake breaking apart in the lofty Tibetan Plateau. The point where the ice meets the water almost perfectly matches a disputed border between China and India.
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Colossal scars of 60 million-year-long continental collision streak across warped mountains in PakistanEarth from space A 2011 satellite photo shows off an "imbricate fan" of alternating rocks in Pakistan's Sulaiman Range. The striking structure formed along the boundary of two tectonic plates that have long been locked in a geological tug-of-war.
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Giant, milky-green vortex swirls across massive 'cryptodepression' lake in Southern EuropeEarth from space A 2020 astronaut photo shows a massive, milky-green vortex in Lake Skadar, which lies on the border between Montenegro and Albania.
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Space shuttle photobombs Earth for the final time, 15 years agoEarth from space This 2011 astronaut photo captured one of NASA's iconic space shuttles passing between Earth and the International Space Station for the very last time.
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Colorful 'painting-like' ripples cover an ancient seafloor structure the BahamasEarth from space A 2020 satellite photo shows off the ethereal beauty of submerged sandbanks and seagrass beds in the Great Bahama Bank. This massive underwater structure is as old as the dinosaurs and has been admired by scientists for decades.
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