Earth Observations from Space

Images from the ISS showcasing Earth's atmosphere, clouds, and lunar observations, with striking contrasts between light and dark.

The moon over the airglow of Earth's atmosphere.

ISS040-E-87351 (1 Aug. 2014) --- This sunset shot, photographed by an Expedition 40 crew member on the International Space Station, shows polar mesospheric clouds only as a thin bright line far above the lowest, yellow-brown weather layer of the atmosphere (known as the troposphere) when the space station was flying over southern Ukraine on Aug. 1, 2014.

Earth Observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Polar Mesospheric Clouds over Canada.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as India and Himalayans.

Earth Observation taken during a night pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Earth observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as Phenomenon over Northern Russia - 4 (plus Europe pass). Distant and hazy Moon is visible.

The moon over the airglow of Earth's atmosphere.

iss059e019955 (April 11, 2019) --- The moon is photographed in its first quarter phase just above the Earth's limb as the International Space Station orbited 255 miles above the Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian island chain.

ISS043E032212 (03/19/2015) ---Aboard the International Space Station astronauts have spectacular views of our Earth. NASA Astronaut Terry Virts commander of Expedition 43 tweeted this comment with this image " Every #sunset is different, this one was blue".

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). File lists this group of images as possibly Misc New Zealand & Galapagos & Carribean

iss060e002044 (June 29, 2019) --- An atmospheric glow blankets Earth beneath a starry night sky as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles above the Indian Ocean, south of the Australian island state of Tasmania.

ISS048e002079 (06/19/2016) --- A new day dawns for the crew of Expedition 48 on board the International Space Station on June 19, 2016. This inspiring image shows the golden rays of the the Sun streaming through the multiple layers of clouds to touch the Earth giving it abundant life.

Lunar observation taken during moonrise by Expedition 34 crewmember.

iss070e008520 (Oct. 23, 2023) --- The first quarter Moon is pictured above Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above the African nation of Niger.

planet An illustration of a nice deep space planet background Copyright: xZoonar.com/magannx 1300660

ISS042E146657 (01/18/2015) --- Earth sunrise as seen on the International Space Station Jan. 18, 2015.

The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 258 miles above the Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian island chain.

The Earth's atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean is illuminated during the first moments of an orbital sunrise in this picture from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above.

ISS030-E-014406 (21 Dec. 2011) --- Comet Lovejoy is visible near Earths horizon in this nighttime image photographed by NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, onboard the International Space Station on Dec. 21, 2011.

. iss069e032117 (July 15, 2023) --- The International Space Station was soaring into an orbital sunrise 259 miles above the U.S. territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean at the time of this photograph.

ISS013-E-69633 (August 2006) --- A crescent moon is visible in this view above Earth's horizon and airglow, photographed by an Expedition 13 crewmember on the International Space Station.

iss064e025511 (Jan. 21, 2021) --- The SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship, with its two lit crew windows, is pictured docked to the Harmony module's international docking adapter as the International Space Station orbited 264 miles above Swansea, Wales, in Great Britain.

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ISS008-E-08949 (December 2003) --- A partial moon is visible in this view of Earths horizon and airglow, photographed by an Expedition 8 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS).

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Space, Sun and planet Earth at Night Space, Sun and planet Earth at Night Copyright: xZoonar.com/StanislavxRishnyakx 14479858

The Earth from space showing all they beauty. Elements of this image are furnished by NASA. Our unique universe

The waxing crescent Moon is pictured above Earth's atmosphere illuminated by an orbital sunset as the International Space Station flew 258 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.

ISS036-E-006173 (4 June 2013) --- One of the Expoedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station captured an image of a crescent moon above Earth's atmosphere on June 4, 2013.

iss051e039977 (May 8, 2017) --- The Moon, the Earth's limb and thin blue atmosphere are seen in this photograph taken by an Expedition 51 crew member.

S117-E-06998 (10 June 2007) --- Polar Mesospheric Clouds are featured in this image photographed by a STS-117 crewmember onboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. Sometimes in the summertime in the far northern (or southern) latitudes, high in the Earth's atmosphere at the edge of space, thin silvery clouds form and are observed just after sunset. These high clouds, occurring at altitudes of about 80 kilometers (50 miles), are called Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC) or noctilucent clouds, and are the subject of new studies to determine whether their occurrence is related to global climate change. Observations over the past few years suggest that PMC are now observed more frequently and at lower latitudes than historical observations. Several studies related to the International Polar Year (IPY), and the AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) spacecraft are underway to collect relevant data on the chemistry and physics of the mesosphere that might explain the occurrence of PMC. Astronauts in orb

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember.

Two Blue Planets and rising Star

January 9, 2012 - The moon and Earth's atmosphere as seen from the International Space Station over a period of time that covered a number of orbits by the orbital outpost.

iss061e110433 (Dec. 29, 2019) --- Stars glitter in the night sky above an atmospheric glow that blankets the city lights as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above the Sudanese/Egyptian border before it crossed the Red Sea.

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This cross section of the Earth's atmosphere at sunset and earth limb (24.5S, 43.5E) displays an unusual layering believed to be caused by temperature inversions which effectively concentrate smoke, dust and aerosols into narrow layers. the top of the stratosphere can be seen as the top of the white layer thought to contain volcanic debris. The purple layer is the troposphere containing smoke from landclearing biomass burning.

STS034-44-023 (20 Oct. 1989) --- The Southern Lights or Aurora Australis were photographed by the STS-34 crewmembers aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis. From the Shuttle astronauts can photograph expanses of auroras, an advantage over scientists on Earth who can only get small sections at a time in a frame of photography. The space position allows for large-scale changes. This scene was one of 26 shown to the press by the five STS-34 crewmembers at their post-flight press conference.

ISS043093710 (04/08/2015) --- Another beautiful Earth sunrise to greet our astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Apr. 8, 2015.

ISS013-E-69635 (19 Aug. 2006) --- The Aurora Borealis, also known as "northern lights", is featured in this photograph taken by an Expedition 13 crewmember on the International Space Station. The moon is visible at upper right.

ISS028-E-020072 (31 July 2011) --- Photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member onboard the International Space Station, this image shows the moon at center, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere ends abruptly at the tropopause, which appears in the image as the sharp boundary between the orange- and blue- colored atmosphere. The silvery-blue noctilucent clouds extend far above the Earth's troposphere.

Sunrise in Orbit

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ISS030-E-020039 (26 Dec. 2011) --- This busy night time panorama was photographed by one of the Expedition 30 crew members from the International Space Station on Dec. 26, 2011. Comet Lovejoy streaks through the star-filled sky just to the right of center. The land mass is the coast of Chile, looking southeast, with several coastal cities in the capital city region near Santiago. A 28-mm focal length was used to record the image.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as India and Himalayans.

This tranquil orbital pass above a cloud-covered Atlantic Ocean reveals Earth's atmospheric glow beneath a starry sky as the International Space Station soared 271 miles above.

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ISS016-E-008867 (3 Nov. 2007) --- A gibbous moon is visible in this view of Earth's horizon and atmosphere, photographed by an Expedition 16 crewmember on the International Space Station while Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-120) is docked with the station.

deep space An image of a deep space planet background Copyright: xZoonar.com/magannx 2414656

ISS028-E-016056 (12 July 2011) --- One of the Expedition 28 crewmembers aboard the International Space Station recorded this image of Earth's horizon and the moon during the week and a half period that the orbiting complex was hosting Atlantis and its crew for the final Space Shuttle Program mission.

ISS040-E-012015 (14 June 2014) --- One of the Expedition 40 crew members photographed this image on June 14, 2014. European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, in a Tweeted message on June 15, identified the sprinkle of light in the upper right hand corner of the photo as the launch of a Russian satellite.

ISS037-E-009333 (10 Oct. 2013) --- This is one of a series of views that captured a missile launch from Earth as seen on Oct. 10, 2013 by the Expedition 37 crew aboard the International Space Station.

ISS030-E-029002 (9 Jan. 2012)--- One of a series of photos of the moon and Earths atmosphere as seen from the International Space Station over a period of time that covered a number of orbits by the orbital outpost.

View of the distant Moon over an Earth limb taken by an Expedition 36 crew member on board the International Space Station (ISS). Per Twitter message The setting moon.

GMT362_00_47_Terry Virts_venus mercury sunset lightning zoom rio and sao paolo_131

iss059e092462 (June 5, 2019) --- The aurora australis, or "southern lights," highlights a starry nighttime orbital pass as the International Space Station orbited 269 miles above the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.

S123-E-007722 (20 March 2008) --- A colorful view of airglow layers at Earth's horizon is featured in this image photographed by a STS-123 crewmember on the Space Shuttle Endeavour while docked with the International Space Station.

Earth Observation taken during a day pass by the Expedition 40 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Folder lists this as misc clouds.

ISS013-E-08139 (19 April 2006) --- A setting sun and the thin blue airglow line at Earths horizon was captured in this image photographed by an Expedition 13 crewmember from a window on the International Space Station.

ISS024-E-013421 (4 Sept. 2010) --- A setting last quarter crescent moon and the thin line of Earths atmosphere are photographed by an Expedition 24 crew member as the International Space Station passes over central Asia.

planet An illustration of a nice deep space planet background Copyright: xZoonar.com/magannx 1265029

iss064e048197 (March 27, 2021) --- A Full Moon is pictured above the Earth's horizon as the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above Iran.

AST-27-2339 (20 July 1975) --- The Earths limb at sunrise and cloud silhouettes in the Southern Hemisphere, as photographed from the Apollo spacecraft during the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. The photograph was taken at an altitude of 230 kilometers (143 statute miles) with a 70mm Hasselblad camera using medium-speed Ektachrome QX-807 type film.

iss064e025506 (Jan. 21, 2021) --- The SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship, with its two lit crew windows, is pictured docked to the Harmony module's international docking adapter as the International Space Station orbited 264 miles above the North Atlantic off the coast of Ireland.

EHDC1. iss069e018196 (June 6, 2023) - The waning gibbous Moon is pictured above Earth's horizon as the International Space Station was orbiting 257 miles over the Celebes Sea off the coast of Malaysia.

ISS038-E-000649 (12 Nov. 2013) --- Although crew members on the International Space Station view literally hundreds of scenes of the moon rising and setting over Earth on each several- month increment, the home planet's natural satellite never ceases to escape the crew's attention and impulse to grab a camera from time to time. Such was the case with this image of a waxing gibbous moon recorded exactly at 00:00:00 GMT, Nov. 12, 2013.

iss059e059210 (May 8, 2019) --- The waxing crescent moon is photographed just above Earth's limb and the bluish hue of the atmosphere at the beginning of an orbital sunrise. A portion of one of the International Space Station's solar arrays is seen in the left foreground as the orbital complex flew 258 miles above the Sea of Japan.

The first rays of an orbital sunrise illuminate the Earth's atmosphere in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 above the Pacific Ocean south of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

. iss068e044225 (Jan. 31, 2023) - The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured above the Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the Gulf of Mexico.

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ISS043E125478 (04/18/2015) -- A golden sunset on the Earth is captured in this image taken from the International Space Station on Apr. 18, 2015 with a red Aurora and lightning showing through the clouds with sparkling city lights.

The moon and Earth's atmosphere as seen from the International Space Station over a period of time that covered a number of orbits by the orbital outpost.

S61-04669 (31 Jan. 1961) --- Earth view from the Mercury Redstone 2 (MR-2) spacecraft.

ISS034-E-029363 (12 Jan. 2013) --- Earth's atmosphere has a distorting effect of the sun in this scenic panorama photographed by one of the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the International Space Station.

Lunar observation taken by the Expedition 39 crew aboard the ISS. An Earth limb and airglow are in view. Image was released by astronaut on Twitter.

AS04-01-200 (9 Nov. 1967) --- Coastal Brazil, Atlantic Ocean, West Africa, Sahara, looking northwest, as photographed from the unmanned Apollo 4 (Spacecraft 017/Saturn 501) earth-orbital space mission. This picture was taken when the Spacecraft 017 and the Saturn IVB stage were orbiting Earth at an altitude of 9,060 nautical miles.

STS058-78-021 (18 Oct-1 Nov 1993) --- A clear three-dimensional view of the Karakorum Range. This northwestern extension of the Himalaya contains glaciated peaks having elevations of 7,000 to 8,000 meters.

S130-E-006388 (9 Feb. 2010) --- The thin line of Earth's atmosphere and rising sun are featured in this image photographed by an STS-130 crew member on the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Endeavour.

. iss068e044995 (Feb. 1, 2023) - An orbital sunrise begins illuminating Earth's atmosphere and its horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 268 miles above the south Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina.

The Earth from space showing all they beauty. Elements of this image are furnished by NASA. Our unique universe

ISS007-E-17719 (20 October 2003) --- The airglow above Earths horizon was photographed by an Expedition 7 crewmember onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

STS059-52-029 (9-20 April 1994) --- The constellation Orion is backdropped against a colorful display of the Southern Lights (aurora australis) in this 35mm image. Six NASA astronauts went on to spend a week and a half aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in support of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-1) mission.

. iss068e075422 (March 16, 2023) - The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship approaches the International Space Station carrying more than 6,200 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo, to replenish the Expedition 68 crew. Both spacecraft were flying 260 miles above the Bay of Bengal at the time of this photograph.

ISS032-E-011476 (1 Aug. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 32 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station capturedthis image of the full moon on Aug. 1, 2012.Because of the home planet's atmosphere, it is not easy at first sighting to recognize the heavenly body as the full moon. Another picture in this series depicts a totally different image of Earth's natural satellite because of the lack of distortion caused by the atmosphere.

. iss068e040552 (Jan. 15, 2023) - An external high-definition camera captured the launch plume of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket after it had ascended to Earth orbit following its liftoff on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The International Space Station was flying 262 miles above the Atlantic Ocean just after an orbital sunset at the time of this photograph.

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An orbital sunset is pictured from the International Space Station as it was soaring 267 miles above the south Pacific Ocean.

iss055e000043 (Feb. 28, 2018) --- A waxing gibbous moon was pictured above the Earth's limb as the International Space Station orbited over the southern Indian Ocean just southwest of the African continent.

STS088-301-017 (4-15 December 1998) --- This Earth view shows a sunrise photographed by the astronaut crew members onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The astronauts experience either a sunrise or sunsets every 45 minutes while orbiting the Earth. A full orbit takes approximately 90 minutes.

ISS040-E-005986 (30 May 2014) --- A crescent moon and Earth's horizon are featured in this nighttime image photographed by an Expedition 40 crew member on the International Space Station.

Apus star constellation, Night sky, Cluster of stars, Deep space, Bird of Paradise constellation Elements of this image furnished by NASA

ISS033-E-015386 (23 Oct. 2012) --- This view of Earths horizon, shows smoke trails from the launch of the Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft, was photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station. The Soyuz, with Expedition 33 crew members Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy, Flight Engineer Kevin Ford of NASA, and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin of Roscosmos onboard, launched at 4:51 p.m. Kazakhstan time (5:51 a.m. CDT) on Oct. 23, 2012, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Photo Planet Earth aerial view

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Earth Observations taken by Expedition 34 crewmember. Earth limb is visible.

ISS028-E-020073 (31 July 2011) --- Photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member onboard the International Space Station, this image shows the moon at center, with the limb of Earth near the bottom transitioning into the orange-colored troposphere, the lowest and most dense portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere ends abruptly at the tropopause, which appears in the image as the sharp boundary between the orange- and blue- colored atmosphere. The silvery-blue noctilucent clouds extend far above the Earth's troposphere.

The Aurora lights over the southern hemisphere (Aurora Australis) from space.

ISS040-E-008169 (7 June 2014) --- The sun, peeking through the thin line of Earths atmosphere, is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 40 crew member on the International Space Station. Crew members onboard the space station see, on average, sixteen sunrises and sunsets during a 24-hour orbital period.

Earth, outer space and globe view of world and solar system in the galaxy and ozone. Universe, sea and aerospace of a blue planet with clouds and sun with land and ocean with science in the sky

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