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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.
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Latest about Earth from space
Trippy 'biomass' snap reveals first detailed look at our planet's carbon stores
Earth from space The first false-color image from ESA's newly operational Biomass satellite shows off a unique perspective of the rainforests, grasslands and wetlands surrounding a winding river in Bolivia.
Ancient lake full of crop circles lurks in the shadow of Saudi Arabia's 'camel-hump' mountain
Earth from space A 2020 astronaut photo shows the oasis town of Jubbah lurking within a paleolake in the wind shadow of Saudi Arabia's "two camel-hump mountain."
Giant underwater plumes triggered by 7-story waves at Nazaré captured off Portuguese coast
Earth from space A 2020 satellite photo shows the immense power of 7-story waves crashing along the Portuguese coast. Later the same day, a surfer rode a 101-foot-tall wave at Nazaré, setting a new world record.
Ethereal ice structures swirl alongside Chicago during extreme cold snap fueled by polar vortex
Earth from space A 2025 satellite image shows a series of ghostly ice swirls sculpted on the surface of Lake Michigan by strong winds during an extreme cold snap that covered Chicago in a blanket of snow.
Submerged sandbanks shine like underwater auroras in astronaut's view of the Bahamas
Earth from space A 2016 astronaut photo of the Bahamas shows a series of luminous, rippling sandbanks partly carved out by a coral reef. The image also reveals subtle differences in the ocean's surface caused by a steep, hidden ocean drop-off.
See the exact point where a glacier, a lake and a river 'touch' in Argentina
Earth from space A 2021 astronaut photo shows a triple valley system in Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park where a massive climate-resilient glacier, a pristine turquoise lake and a murky green "river" come together at a single point.
Rare dusting of snow covers one of the driest place on Earth and shuts down massive radio telescope
Earth from space A satellite photo from July shows intricate snowy stripes painted across the Atacama Desert in Chile. The icy weather temporarily put the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory into "survival mode."
Deep snow blanket transforms Yellowstone Lake into a giant white void
Earth from space A 2022 astronaut photo shows a thick blanket of snow covering Yellowstone Lake, transforming the frozen body of water into a featureless white void. But below the ice lie some of Earth's hottest hydrothermal vents.
Rare 'sunglint' transforms Alabama River into a giant 'golden dragon'
Earth from space A 2023 astronaut photo shows the moment the Alabama River briefly morphed into an undulating golden serpent, similar in shape to a Chinese dragon. This temporary transformation was the result of a rare mirror-like phenomenon known as a "sunglint."
Trio of 'black mesas' leftover from Paleozoic era spawn rare sand dunes in the Sahara
Earth from space A 2023 astronaut photo shows three dark hills, or mesas, towering above part of the Sahara desert in southern Mauritania. The structures are remnants of a single Paleozoic era formation, and have helped to create a series of striking sand dunes.
