Cities under water photos from space. Beautiful places on Earth: view from space

Take a few minutes to enjoy 25 truly breathtaking photos of the Earth and Moon from space.

This photograph of the Earth was taken by astronauts spaceship Apollo 11 July 20, 1969.

Spacecraft launched by humanity enjoy views of the Earth from a distance of thousands and millions of kilometers.

Captured by Suomi NPP, a US weather satellite operated by NOAA.
Date: April 9, 2015.

NASA and NOAA created this composite image using photos taken from the Suomi NPP weather satellite, which orbits the Earth 14 times a day.

Their endless observations allow us to monitor the state of our world under the rare positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

Captured by the DSCOVR Sun and Earth Observing Spacecraft.
Date: March 9, 2016.

The DSCOVR spacecraft captured 13 images of the moon's shadow running across Earth during the 2016 total solar eclipse.

But the deeper we go into space, the more the view of the Earth fascinates us.

Taken by the Rosetta spacecraft.
Date: November 12, 2009.

The Rosetta spacecraft is designed to study comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In 2007, it made a soft landing on the surface of a comet. The main probe of the device completed its flight on September 30, 2016. This photo shows the South Pole and sunlit Antarctica.

Our planet looks like a shiny blue marble, shrouded in a thin, almost invisible layer of gas.

Filmed by the Apollo 17 crew
Date: December 7, 1972.

The crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft took this photo, entitled "The Blue Marble," during the last manned mission to the Moon. This is one of the most circulated photographs of all time. It was filmed at a distance of approximately 29 thousand km from the surface of the Earth. Africa is visible in the upper left of the image, and Antarctica is visible in the lower left.

And she drifts alone in the blackness of space.

Filmed by the Apollo 11 crew.
Date: July 20, 1969.

The crew of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin took this photo during a flight to the Moon at a distance of about 158 ​​thousand km from Earth. Africa is visible in the frame.

Almost alone.

About twice a year, the Moon passes between the DSCOVR satellite and its main observation object, the Earth. Then we get a rare opportunity to look at the far side of our satellite.

The Moon is a cold rocky ball, 50 times smaller than the Earth. She is our greatest and closest heavenly friend.

Filmed by William Anders as part of the Apollo 8 crew.
Date: December 24, 1968.

The famous "Earthrise" photograph taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft.

One hypothesis is that the Moon formed after a proto-Earth collided with a planet the size of Mars about 4.5 billion years ago.

Taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO, Lunar Orbiter).
Date: October 12, 2015.

In 2009, NASA launched the robotic interplanetary probe LRO to study the cratered surface of the Moon, but it seized the opportunity to capture this modern version of the Earthrise photograph.

Since the 1950s, humanity has been launching people and robots into space.

Taken by Lunar Orbiter 1.
Date: August 23, 1966.

The robotic unmanned spacecraft Lunar Orbiter 1 took this photo while searching for a site to land astronauts on the Moon.

Our exploration of the Moon is a mixture of the pursuit of technological conquest...

Photographed by Michael Collins of the Apollo 11 crew.
Date: July 21, 1969.

Eagle, the lunar module of Apollo 11, returns from the surface of the Moon.

and insatiable human curiosity...

Taken by the Chang'e 5-T1 lunar probe.
Date: October 29, 2014.

Rare species reverse side Moon taken by the Chinese National Space Administration's lunar probe.

and search for extreme adventures.

Filmed by the Apollo 10 crew.
Date: May 1969.

This video was taken by astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan during a non-landing test flight to the Moon on Apollo 10. Obtaining such an image of Earthrise is only possible from a moving ship.

It always seems that the Earth is not far from the Moon.

Taken by the Clementine 1 probe.
Date: 1994.

The Clementine mission was launched on January 25, 1994, as part of a joint initiative between NASA and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. On May 7, 1994, the probe went out of control, but had previously transmitted this image showing the Earth and North Pole Moons.

Taken by Mariner 10.
Date: November 3, 1973.

A combination of two photographs (one of the Earth, the other of the Moon) taken by NASA's robotic interplanetary station Mariner 10, which was launched to Mercury, Venus and the Moon using an intercontinental ballistic missile.

the more amazing our house looks...

Taken by the Galileo spacecraft.
Date: December 16, 1992.

On its way to study Jupiter and its moons, NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured this composite image. The Moon, which is about three times brighter than Earth, is in the foreground, closer to the viewer.

and the more lonely he seems.

Taken by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Shoemaker spacecraft.
Date: January 23, 1998.

NASA's NEAR spacecraft, sent to the asteroid Eros in 1996, captured these images of the Earth and Moon. Antarctica is visible at the South Pole of our planet.

Most images do not accurately depict the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Taken by the Voyager 1 robotic probe.
Date: September 18, 1977.

Most photographs of the Earth and Moon are composite images, made up of several images, because the objects are far apart. But above you see the first photograph in which our planet and its natural satellite captured in one frame. The photo was taken by the Voyager 1 probe on its way to its “grand tour” of the solar system.

Only after traveling hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilometers, then returning, can we truly appreciate the distance that lies between the two worlds.

Taken by the automatic interplanetary station “Mars-Express”.
Date: July 3, 2003.

The European Space Agency's robotic interplanetary station Max Express (Mars Express), heading towards Mars, took this image of Earth at a distance of millions of kilometers.

This is a huge and empty space.

Captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.
Date: April 19, 2001.

This infrared photograph, taken from a distance of 2.2 million km, shows the enormous distance between the Earth and the Moon - about 385 thousand kilometers, or about 30 Earth diameters. The Mars Odyssey spacecraft took this photo as it headed toward Mars.

But even together, the Earth-Moon system looks insignificant in deep space.

Taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft.
Date: August 26, 2011.

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this image during its nearly 5-year journey to Jupiter, where it is conducting research on the gas giant.

From the surface of Mars, our planet appears to be just another "star" in the night sky, which puzzled early astronomers.

Taken by the Spirit Mars Exploration Rover.
Date: March 9, 2004.

About two months after landing on Mars, the Spirit rover captured a photo of Earth looking like a tiny dot. NASA says it is "the first ever image of Earth taken from the surface of another planet beyond the Moon."

The Earth is lost in the shining icy rings of Saturn.

Taken by the Cassini automatic interplanetary station.
Date: September 15, 2006.

NASA's Cassini space station took 165 photos of Saturn's shadow to create this backlit mosaic of the gas giant. The Earth has crept into the image on the left.

Billions of kilometers from Earth, as Carl Sagan quipped, our world is just a “pale blue dot,” a small and lonely ball on which all our triumphs and tragedies are played out.

Taken by the Voyager 1 robotic probe.
Date: February 14, 1990.

This image of Earth is one of a series of "solar system portraits" that Voyager 1 took about 4 billion miles from home.

From Sagan's speech:

“There is probably no better demonstration of stupid human arrogance than this detached picture of our tiny world. It seems to me that it emphasizes our responsibility, our duty to be kinder to each other, to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot - our only home.”

Sagan's message is constant: there is only one Earth, so we must do everything in our power to protect it, to protect it mainly from ourselves.

Japan's artificial lunar satellite Kaguya (also known as SELENE) captured this video of the Earth rising above the Moon at 1000% acceleration to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Earthrise photograph taken by the Apollo 8 crew.

Since the first flight into space, the prospects opened up by observations of the surface of the oceans from manned vehicles have become obvious. Jets of ocean currents, frontal zones, spots and stripes are clearly visible on satellite images. In 1978, the Salyut-6 orbital station already had a completely definite scientific task to study the natural environment and biological productivity of the oceans of our planet. At the same time, ships in the oceans were also included in this work. Thus, the data received from the ship was directly checked, compared, and observation results were constantly exchanged. It was possible to find signs to identify a number of dynamic formations in the sea: frontal zones separating waters with different physical properties; zones of water rising to the surface from the depths; eddies and places with high biological productivity. Observations from ships have shown that high biological productivity corresponds dynamically active zones. Space research has made some clarifications: the high biological activity, which is usually considered characteristic of coastal areas, is also inherent in areas of the open ocean, where large concentrations of marine organisms have been observed. The study of vortices on the sea surface showed that they are not random, are repeated frequently and, apparently, represent an element of the general circulation.

Ground-based information is insufficient for most areas of the world's oceans. Vast spaces lying outside the paths of transport and fishing vessels remain unlit; the network of weather ships is too sparse. In oceanographic operational and scientific practice, television images of the Earth's surface (including oceans) and clouds are most successfully used. The two main uses of this information are on ice cover and storm surge zones over a very wide area at the same time. Observations of the ice cover from coastal stations, posts, aircraft and ships that have existed for many years are limited both in time and in space. The most advanced of these observations - ice aerial reconnaissance - does not cover the entire water area and is carried out at large intervals. Thus, it is often difficult to monitor changes in the position of the ice edge and other important characteristics.

Much work is being done to decipher the resulting images. Brightness makes it possible to identify various forms of ice, water among ice - polynyas, channels, leads, french polynyas. The brightest tone means that the image shows stationary or low-moving ice. Less bright - sparse, gray-white and gray, etc. The brightness of the image depends on many reasons, including the season of the year. It is especially difficult to interpret images when there is dense cloud cover over the ice. Here the comparison of images sequentially over several days came to the rescue.

The cloud system is much less inert than the ice system, and changes in the fast ice edge can be imagined quite accurately. In this case, clarification is done with the help of geographical landmarks - such as capes, peninsulas and islands, coastlines, which in most cases are visible quite clearly on satellite images.

Naturally, image analysis is inextricably linked with knowledge of climatic conditions: ice, wind, currents, water and air temperature, i.e. this can only be done by a hydrometeorologist. It is also necessary to know the conditions in the ocean and atmosphere over the previous time. This is important primarily during sudden changes - for example, when strong winds noticeably change the position of the ice edge, its concentration, etc.

Ice maps are compiled using satellite data. Such a map is processed accordingly, boundaries are drawn various forms ice, in accepted symbols the types of ice, concentration, areas of clear water, etc. are given. If there is a map of the latest ice reconnaissance, comparisons are made with it, the discrepancies that arise in some cases are analyzed and explained.

Satellite information can provide an invaluable service if other data is not available. In December 1967, the research vessel Professor Wiese was sailing in Antarctic waters (this vessel is not suitable for navigation in ice). The service was carried out according to data from the Kosmos-184 meteorological satellite. Based on them, it was possible to establish the boundary of coastal fast ice and zones of ice of varying concentration, and the expected location of iceberg distribution. The optimal route was recommended for the vessel. The operation was successful.

The second, extremely important aspect of the use of satellites is images of cloud vortices to determine zones of storm waves in the ocean. The state of the weather, despite the modern powerful development of navigation, is very important for the successful movement of ships in the ocean. There are often cases when it is necessary to change the course of a vessel, reduce its speed, stop catching fish or sea animals, drift, etc. All this, naturally, increases overhead costs and causes certain damage. Analysis of satellite observations and sea wave maps showed a clear connection between the eddy structure of clouds and sea wind waves. First of all, the difference between the vortex structure of the Cyclops clouds and the baric formations of the same vortex structure, which do not affect weather conditions. This was done because it is known that vortex disturbances over the ocean shown by the satellite in 80% had a vortex cloud structure, developed and occluded cyclones, and in 20% - not associated with cyclogenesis. The trace of the cyclone is visible in the image as the remains of a clearly defined cloud spiral with a rounded opening in the middle. These images required careful analysis, as they may various types complications causing unexpected errors. When a satellite image reveals a vortex cloud structure over a certain area of ​​the ocean, wind waves are observed on its surface. Their height can reach 3-4 m, and their distribution zone extends on average 300 X 200 miles. Gradually, the excitement increases, the waves increase to 5-7 m, and the area increases to 500X350 miles. Then a severe storm begins with waves of up to 10-12 m, the total area of ​​the waves, elongated in the direction of the wind in the shape of an ellipse, expands to 1000 miles. As the cyclone fills, the storm begins to subside.

Thus, based on the data of the vortex structure of clouds, it is possible to form a fairly accurate idea of ​​sea storm waves - wave heights and distribution zones.

Tropical cyclones are especially dangerous for navigation in the equatorial and tropical zones of the oceans. The satellite makes it possible to detect the place of their origin, and the information received by the Earth is promptly sent to ships.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And VKontakte

You and I are very lucky as the astronauts on the International Space Station continue to amaze us with new photographs of our beautiful planet.

Very few lucky people get the chance to observe the Earth from space. So, we are sincerely grateful to the astronauts, NASA and the European Space Agency, and, in case any of them are reading this, we once again say our sincere “thank you” to you! After all, previously we could only observe such species in films created at Hollywood film studios. But these photos are the real ones.

1. Maldives.

“We will open you to the sunny side of life” - this is the slogan that tour operators lure tourists to the Maldives. Well, from the window of the International Space Station they really do look amazing. Well, let's order a cocktail with slices of fruit and an umbrella in a glass, and go to the hammock to just relax while watching the amazing sunset?

2. Pacific Ocean, Hawaii.

Aloha! We're getting closer to Hawaiian Islands. The large island is visible very clearly. Kilauea is known as the "world's only road volcano." It now produces 250-650 thousand yards of lava per day. This amount is enough to fill a 32 km long two-lane highway.

3. Southern Lights, New Zealand.

Don't you think that the southern lights in this photo resemble a laser show - amazing and mesmerizing?

4. Night view to the east coast of Spain.

Before you is the eastern coast of Spain at night, the Balearic Sea looks dark spot. At the top left is the island of Mallorca. Looking at Barcelona at night, you remember that for someone one of their cherished desires is to go to this city for the Barcelona match against Real Madrid.

5. Mannam Volcano, Papua New Guinea.

Mannam, also known as the "Great Volcano", is only 10 km in diameter. Mannam is a stratovolcano formed from changing layers of ash, lava and rocks from previous eruptions. It is one of Papua New Guinea's most active active volcanoes, and its eruptions frequently cause fatalities, including 13 deaths in December 1996, and four more in March 2007. In general, this photo resembles an excellent set for a film like “Jurassic Park” or “King Kong.”

6. International Space Station.

The ISS is located over the eastern coast of Argentina over the Gulf of San Matias. Looking at these photos can make you feel dizzy. Just imagine that you are up there, on board the International Space Station, looking at our planet upside down... - how is your vestibular system?

7. Beaver Lake in Arkansas, USA.

Beaver Lake is a man-made body of water in the Ozark Mountains located in northwest Arkansas, the birthplace of White River. Sometimes artificial reservoirs are wiped out by forest fires, but humanity continues to change the planet with amazing tenacity.

8. The East Coast of the USA and the last ray of light on the horizon.

The US East Coast, New York and Long Island are at the bottom left. Do you want to see this panorama with your own eyes? What was the matter? Only $20 million...

9. Earth and stars.

So this is what the Milky Way looks like when the light of night cities does not obscure it. I would like to quote Dr. McCoy from the world famous Star Trek: “In this galaxy there is a mathematical probability of three million planets similar in type to Earth. And there are three million million galaxies in the universe like this one. And they probably contain at least one version of ourselves.”

10. Night clouds over Long Beach, California.

This is truly an amazing place - Long Beach. The place where you can meet the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific. But the best thing to do here is to take a trip by sea, where you can watch the friendly gray whales. During migration, they swim close to the shore.

11. Great Britain and Ireland at night.

These regions gave the world the authors of Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), Dracula (Bram Stoker) and Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling). The British Isles, where the royal wedding is now eagerly awaited, are simply amazing.

12. Launch of an automatic interorbital transport vehicle.
Arianespace and ESA launched an interorbital vehicle to the International Space Station. I wonder how far they were from each other?

13. Solar panels of the International Space Station.
The ISS solar panels are simply amazing. When the sun disappears below the horizon, the last sunlight Colors solar panels in amazing shades.

14. French Riviera at night.
The Cote d'Azur is not only super-expensive and super-popular, but also super-beauty, which is only emphasized by the reflection of the moon in the Mediterranean Sea. This may be the only place that can bear comparison with southern California.

15. Bright lights of Barcelona at night.

16. Supermoon.
On March 19, the inhabitants of planet Earth could observe a supermoon - a phenomenon during which full moon came as close to our planet as possible. The moon photographed from the International Space Station is simply beautiful, but in this photo it even looks a little scary.

17. Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Cape Cod, known locally as simply the Cape, is an island and cape in eastern Massachusetts. The sun is reflected in the water surface of the Atlantic Ocean, turning it into living gold, shading the amazing cape.

18. Moscow at night
Moscow, a city of 11 million people, is not only the capital of Russia, but also the center of European culture. Russians are a passionate, proud, sexy and intelligent people, but at the same time sophisticated, intelligent, and with a wonderful sense of humor. And in this photograph we see the very heart of this superpower. And the heart is simply incredibly beautiful.

20. Sicily, Italy
Sicily is considered the birthplace of the mafia thanks to the Godfather film series. But in reality it is a beautiful and absolutely magical island, full of passionate people who love music and food, and live with desperate courage in the shadow of the ancient volcano Etna. In this image it is difficult to make out what exactly is being reflected from the Mediterranean Sea - sunlight or moonlight. In any case, the photo is amazing.

21. Lake Qadisiya on the Euphrates River owes its birth to the Haditha dam. From space, she looks like a Chinese dragon ready to attack. There are many amazing places in Iraq that, unfortunately, cannot be visited due to the ongoing military conflict that has been going on for many years. Perhaps someday we will be able to visit both there and other historical places.

22. Heart-shaped atoll, east of the Solomon Islands.
This atoll is especially loved by astronauts on the International Space Station. They sent this photo to Earth on Valentine's Day. An atoll is a coral island that partially or completely encloses a lagoon. If you look closely, you can see that this atoll is actually the tip of an old volcano.

23. San Quentin Glacier, Chile.
The San Quentin Glacier is the largest glacier in Chile. Like many glaciers around the world, in the twentieth century, San Quentin began to gradually shrink in size and lose mass. What caused this: natural factors or the consequences of human actions? It’s hard to say; it’s easier to enjoy the beauty of the amazing glacier.

24. Crete, Greece and Türkiye
Beautiful clear photo of Hellas (Greece), Turkey and the island of Crete. Crete has a rich mythology associated mainly with the Greek gods, but also with the Minoan civilization. Crete in Greek mythology is considered the birthplace of the god Zeus. Also here is the famous labyrinth of Knossos.

25. River Nile
The Nile is the longest river in the world (6650 km), located in North Africa. At the bottom of the photo you can see the place where the Blue Nile and White Nile merge.

26. Buenos Aires, Argentina, La Plata
La Plata is an estuary, a flooded mouth of a river, formed at the confluence of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers at the border of Argentina and Uruguay. The photo resembles a picture with a silvery vein coming from a large heart on the left.

Our planet is beautiful and amazing. Perhaps, with the development of space tourism, the secret dream of many people to see the earth from space will come true. Today, you can admire the breathtaking, magnificent panoramas of the Earth in photographs.

We present a selection of ten of the most famous images of the globe from NASA.

"Blue marble"

A widely known and widely circulated image of our stunning planet until 2002. The birth of this photograph was the result of long and painstaking work. From a compilation of footage from months-long studies of the movement of oceans, clouds, and drifting ice, scientists have compiled an amazing color scheme mosaic
“Blue Marble” is recognized as a universal treasure and even now is considered the most detailed and detailed image of the globe.

An image taken from a record distance (about 6 billion kilometers) using the Voyajer 1 space probe. spacecraft NASA was able to transmit about 60 frames from the very depths of the solar system, including the “Pale Blue Dot,” where the globe looks like a tiny (0.12 pixel) bluish speck of dust on a brown stripe.
The “Pale Blue Dot” was destined to become the very first “portrait” of the Earth against the endless backdrop of outer space.

Another world-famous photo is a stunning view of the Earth taken by the American crew of Apollo 11 during the historic mission: the landing of earthlings on the Moon in 1969.
Then three astronauts, led by Neil Armstrong, successfully completed the task - they landed on the lunar surface and returned home safely, having managed to leave this legendary image for history.

A photo unexpected for human perception: two luminous crescents on a completely black background of the universe. On the bluish crescent of the Earth you can see the contours of eastern Asia, the western Pacific Ocean and the white areas of the Arctic. The image was transmitted in September 1977 by the Voyager 1 interplanetary probe. In this photograph, our planet is captured at a distance of more than 11 million kilometers.

The crew of Apollo 11 made two more famous photos, on which the Earth Terminator (from the Latin terminare - to stop) is visible with a rounded line - a line of light separating the illuminated (light) part of the celestial body from the unlit (dark) part, circling the planet twice a day - at sunset and sunrise. At the North and South Poles, this phenomenon is observed quite rarely.

Thanks to this photograph, humanity was able to see what our home looks like from another planet. The globe from the surface of Mars appears as a planetary disk flickering above the horizon.

This image was the first to capture the landscape of the far side of the Moon using Swedish Hasselblad equipment. This event occurred in April 1972, when the Apollo 16 crew descended to the dark side of the Earth's moon, with John Young as expedition commander.

This photograph has a scandalous reputation: many experts believe that the picture was not taken on the Moon at all, but in a specially equipped studio that simulates the lunar surface. Many question the very fact of astronauts being on the Moon.