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Strange phenomena create festive decorations on Iraq's 'Christmas tree lake'
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2018 astronaut photo shows a festive, fir-tree-shaped artificial reservoir in Iraq decorated with both natural and imagined ornaments.

Antarctica's 'Deception Island' is one of the only places on Earth where you can sail into an active volcano
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2018 satellite photo shows the aptly named Deception Island, which was formed by a massive eruption 4,000 years ago and remains volcanically active today.

Otherworldly stripes and shadowy dunes share center stage in 'hottest place on Earth'
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2012 satellite photo shows a series of giant windblown ridges, known as yardangs, and a group of towering sand dunes at the heart of Iran's Lut Desert.

Crimea's 'putrid sea' creates beautiful rainbow of color but smells like rotten eggs
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2014 satellite photo of the Sivash region shows off the kaleidoscopic colors of a series of shallow, hypersaline lagoons — each filled with a different kind of algae.

Wandering sand dunes circle a gigantic 'eye' sculpted by an ancient city-killer meteor in the Sahara
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2013 astronaut photo shows a giant eye-shaped impact crater in the Sahara Desert that is slowly being circled by migrating sand dunes, helping researchers track how far these dunes can move over time.

Eerily circular 'Goblin Forest' surrounds sacred volcano with human rights
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2023 satellite photo shows New Zealand's Mount Taranaki, which is surrounded by a near-perfect circle of deformed trees. The volcano was recently granted the same legal rights as a person.

Giant 'phantom lake' dotted with stripy gold islands shimmers in Australian outback
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2010 satellite image shows dozens of golden islands covered with strange parallel lines shining among the shallow waters of a massive, half-full ephemeral lake in Australia's Great Sandy Desert.

Watch Valencia disappearing under a sea of mud during deadly Spanish floods
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space Satellite images show the true extent of the flash flooding in Valencia during a freak weather event that killed at least 214 people across Spain.

Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2014 photo shows a massive, iceberg-littered pool of vibrant blue meltwater sitting alone on top of a glacier in Alaska. Similar "melt ponds" are becoming increasingly common in the Arctic due to climate change and are further accelerating the rate of ice loss across the region.

Bizarre 'pet cloud' reappears above its favorite spot in New Zealand
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A recent satellite image captured the reemergence of a unique, UFO-like cloud, known as the "Taieri Pet," which appears above New Zealand's South Island when conditions are just right.
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