Earth from space — Incredible images of our planet from above
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

Incomplete remains of world's 'youngest' impact crater spotted lurking in Chinese forest
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2021 satellite photo shows off the recently uncovered Yilan crater in China, which is most likely the youngest impact structure on Earth. The incomplete ring is also the largest of its kind and only the second impact crater ever found in the country.

Hidden beauty of Zimbabwe's 2.5 billion-year-old 'geological marvel' revealed in striking astronaut photo
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2010 astronaut photo shows off the astonishing scale of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, which stretches over 340 miles (550 kilometers). The lengthy structure, which is not actually a dike, is full of extremely valuable minerals that fuel a massive mining industry.

Astronaut snaps salty, pink Valentine's Day 'heart' shining in Argentina
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2024 astronaut photo shows a striking pink, heart-shaped salt lake in the middle of the Argentine lowlands. The endearing photo was originally released to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Trippy 'biomass' snap reveals first detailed look at our planet's carbon stores
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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
By Harry Baker published
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."
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