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Iconic 'Star Trek' symbol shines brightly in sea of muddy Arctic sea ice
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2012 satellite photo captured a patch of snow-covered sea ice with an uncannily similar shape to badges pinned on the uniforms of Starfleet officers in the "Star Trek" franchise.

Ghostly figure emerges in Greenland ice after underground lake collapses
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space In 2011, a ghostly depression, known as "the mitten," appeared on the surface of and ice sheet in Greenland after the unprecedented collapse of a concealed subglacial lake.

Successive lightning strikes illuminate eye of tropical cyclone in rare photos from space
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A pair of 2015 astronaut photos taken just minutes apart shows the eye of tropical cyclone Bansi illuminated by two lightning strikes as the storm raged in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Madagascar.

Warped 'double rainbow' glory appears next to rare cloud swirls over Mexican island
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2012 satellite photo captured an unusual "double rainbow" glory appearing next to an unconnected chain of rare vortices in the clouds above Mexico's Guadalupe Island.

Massive landslide dams Canadian river, trapping endangered fish on the wrong side
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A recent landslide along the banks of a river in British Columbia completely dammed the waterway, leading to evacuation warnings and potentially dooming an endangered fish population trapped on the wrong side of the debris.

Picturesque plankton paint peculiar patterns in Patagonia
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2014 satellite photo shows a gigantic, multicolor phytoplankton bloom swirling off the coast of Argentina. More recent research has shown that similarly massive algal outbreaks may become less likely in the future thanks to climate change.

High winds paint puzzling ice streaks across the sea in Antarctica
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2021 satellite photo captured rare, wispy streaks of ice stretching across an ocean channel separating the Ronne Ice Shelf and a patch of multi-year sea ice in Antarctica.

'Smoking terror' volcano that destroyed city 400 years ago burps toxic cloud
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2018 astronaut photo shows Nicaragua's active Momotombo volcano spitting out a cloud of toxic gas and steam just a few years after its latest eruption.
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