SATURN’S POLAR VORTEX Photograph by NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute The center of this vortex was imaged in unprecedented detail by the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn. These clouds lie at the center of the unusual hexagonal cloud system that surrounds the north pole of Saturn. The sun rose on Saturn’s north pole just…
AURORA OVER WHITEHORSE Photograph by David Cartier Sr On August 31, 2012 a long filament of solar material that had been hovering in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona, erupted out into space at 4:36 p.m. EDT. The coronal mass ejection, or CME, traveled at over 900 miles per second. The CME did…
Across four decades since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, coastal shallows, and coral reefs. The Landsat Program, a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was established to routinely gather land imagery from space. The result of…
A COMPLEX PLANETARY NEBULA Photograph by NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team According to Wikipedia, a planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life. The term for this class of objects is…
GREETINGS EARTHLINGS Photograph by NASA/Steve Robinson STS-114 astronaut Soichi Noguchi waves from the Shuttle payload bay, backdropped by the Earth below. During the mission’s second spacewalk, Noguchi and Discovery crewmate Steve Robinson replaced a failed gyroscope which keeps the International Space Station in the proper position in orbit. STS-114 was the first…
On December 5th, 2010 scientists unveiled an unprecedented new look at our planet at night. A global composite image, constructed using cloud-free night images from a new NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, shows the glow of natural and human-built phenomena across the planet in greater detail than ever before. Many…
A SILHOUETTE ON EARTH’S HORIZON Photograph by NASA/Crew of Expedition 22 Though astronauts and cosmonauts often encounter striking scenes of Earth’s limb, this unique image, part of a series over Earth’s colourful horizon, has the added feature of a silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour (now retired and on display at the…
OUR SUN ERUPTS Photograph by NASA/GSFC/SDO On August 31, 2012 a long filament of solar material that had been hovering in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona, erupted out into space at 4:36 p.m. EDT. The coronal mass ejection, or CME, traveled at over 900 miles per second. The CME did not travel…
THE WATER PLANET Photograph by NASA/Robert Simmon/Marit Jentoff-Nilsen Viewed from space, the most striking feature of our planet is the water. In both liquid and frozen form, it covers 75% of the Earth’s surface. It fills the sky with clouds and is practically everywhere on Earth; from inside the rocky crust to…
To see our planet from space is a powerful experience. It’s humbling, beautiful and inspiring. I hope one day more people will have the ability to see our home from space (myself included!). For now, please enjoy these ten breathtaking views of Earth from space. Images courtesy of NASA. 1. The…
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