Earth Day 2017: Amazing NASA Photos of Our Planet from Space

Unique Landscape

A composite image of the Mount Brandenberg Nature Reserve as seen from above. From NASA, "This composite image of the Mount Brandberg Nature Reserve in Namibia, Africa was put together at the Johnson Space Center in Houston from several International Space Station images. Expedition 47 crew members photographed the middle of a vast African desert."

Green and Windy

The MacKenzie River in Canada's Northwest Territories as seen from space. From NASA, "This view, acquired on Nov. 7, 2016, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, shows a portion of Canada's Mackenzie River Delta and the town of Inuvik, home to more than 3,000 people. A frozen highway -- 194 kilometers (120 miles) long -- runs between the remote outposts of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk along the river's East Channel."

Earth Art

Terrain from northwestern Australia as seen from abover. From NASA, "During an International Space Station flyover of Australia, NASA astronaut Jeff Williams captured a colorful image of the coast and shared it with his social media followers on March 29, 2016, writing, 'The unique terrain of the northwestern Australian coast.'"

ISS Flyover

Astronaut Tim Peake capture this image of the Mediterranean in 2016. From NASA, "Expedition 46 flight engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA) shared this stunning nighttime photograph with his social media followers on Jan. 25, 2016, writing, 'Beautiful night pass over Italy, Alps and Mediterranean.'"

Lines in the Sands

The Namib Sand Sea as seen from the International Space Station. From NASA, "An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) used a long lens to document what crews have termed one of the most spectacular features of the planet: the dunes of the Namib Sand Sea."

Broken Frozen Land

The Rocky Mountains from Earth's Orbit. From NASA, "Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency photographed the Rocky Mountains from his vantage point in low Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station. He shared the image with his social media followers on Jan. 9, 2017, writing, 'the Rocky mountains are a step too high – even for the clouds to cross.'"

EarthKAM and the Sahara

The Sally Ride EarthKAM snapped this image of the Sahara desert. From NASA, "Middle school students programmed a camera aboard the International Space Station — the Sally Ride EarthKAM — to photograph this portion of the Sahara desert in western Libya on October 3, 2016. The Expedition 50 crew set up the EarthKAM gear in the Harmony module's Earth-facing hatch window, to allow students to photograph targets on Earth."

Astounding Geography

South Africa stuns in this image from the Sally Ride EarthKAM. From NASA, "The remotely controlled Sally Ride EarthKAM aboard the International Space Station snapped this striking photograph of South Africa on Feb. 9, 2016. The EarthKAM program allows students to request photographs of specific Earth features, which are taken by a special camera mounted on the space station when it passes over those features."

Gallery Only - Earth Day 2017 Images

A composite image of the Pacific Ocean with sunglint, as seen from the ISS. From NASA, "This Earth observation composite image from the International Space Station captures morning sunglint and low clouds over the central Pacific Ocean. The image was put together at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, from a series of photographs taken by Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams on March 25, 2016."

Puzzle Pieces

Venice as seen from above on Valentine's Day. From NASA, Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency shared this photograph from the International Space Station on Feb. 14, 2017, writing, 'Venice, city of gondoliers and the lovers they carry along the canals. Happy Valentine's Day!'"