Astronaut Photography
An Earth Observatory Collection
Along the northeast side of the Capital Beltway in Maryland, green spaces weave through the developed landscape.
After the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated from present-day Hudson Bay, rebounding land has revealed striking nearshore topography.
Set amid El Salvador’s modern, active volcanic landscape, tranquil blue waters fill a caldera formed by ancient eruptions.
A dusting of white highlighted the Colorado Plateau around the deep gorge, while shadows created a visual illusion.
A collection of fish-shaped clouds hovered above the glacial lake in Patagonia in December 2025.
After a four-decade run, the massive, waterlogged berg is leaking meltwater and on the verge of disintegrating.
The Large Magellanic Cloud—one of our closest neighboring galaxies—is a hotbed of star formation that is visible to both astronauts…
An astronaut photographed moonglint shimmering across the sea surface and the bright clusters of Florida’s cities at night.
In southeastern Libya, Jabal Arkanū’s concentric rock rings stand as relics of past geologic forces that churned beneath the desert.
An astronaut photographed the island’s striking mix of mountains, forests, and expanding urban areas.
A Gulf Coast storm followed by snowmelt in January 2025 temporarily increased the Mississippi River’s outflow, sending a surge of…
Sediment from the riverbed, especially during periods of higher flow, helps shape the surrounding beaches and sandbars.
Astronauts and much of Earth’s population had a chance to view a coppery “Blood Moon” during a total lunar eclipse…
The nighttime lightscape of Argentina’s largest metropolitan area reveals transportation corridors and variations in lighting types.
The glow of city lights, the aurora, and a rising Moon illuminate the night along the northwest coast of North…
An astronaut captured a moonrise—and much more—in a series of photos taken from the International Space Station.
The peninsula in eastern Siberia features rugged terrain with towering, snow-covered peaks and cloud-filled valleys stretching between the Pacific Ocean…
A subtle arc, formed by the bending of light through high-altitude ice crystals, cradles the Moon above the darkened Earth.
A long-exposure photo taken from low Earth orbit captured the brilliant illumination coming from airglow, lightning, and stars.
The lake in northwestern Utah displays striking red and green waters that contrast with the region’s surrounding desert, salt flats,…
Located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the peak’s lofty altitude and chilly latitude help it hang onto snow and glaciers all…
