21 Amazing Photos Of Earth From Space

Published September 5, 2021
Updated August 10, 2022

These gorgeous pictures of Earth from space present our planet's colorful, bizarre geography from a stunning new perspective.

In these images taken by both satellites and astronauts living on the International Space Station, Earth’s strange and colorful terrain comes into focus from a fascinating new perspective. From the Sahara desert to coral reefs off the coast of Africa, the most beautiful places in the world look positively alien as seen from space.

Still, our planet remains a work of art whether it’s covered in ice or preparing for a hurricane. Here are 21 stunning pictures of Earth from space that prove just that:

Pictures Of Earth From Space
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly showed off the surprisingly colorful Sahara desert in this photo posted to Twitter on October 17, 2015.Scott Kelly/Twitter

Auroras
Jeff Williams, another NASA astronaut, posted this photo of neon green auroras south of Australia to Twitter on June 24, 2016. Jeff Williams/Twitter

Richat Structure
Williams also shared this photo of the Richat Structure, an enormous eroded dome in the Sahara, to Twitter on June 30, 2016. Jeff Williams/Twitter

Barents Sea
On July 6, 2016, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of phytoplankton in the Barents Sea. NASA

Paris At Night
On April 8, 2015, astronauts on the International Space Station captured this photo of Paris at night.

Adele Island
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this picture of Adele Island (off the coast of Australia) on June 11, 2015. NASA

September 11th From Space
The plume from the September 11th attacks in New York as photographed from space by NASA.

Bahamas
Scott Kelly shared this photo of the Bahamas on Twitter on January 19, 2016. Scott Kelly/Twitter

British Columbia
European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake captured ice on the coast of British Columbia from the International Space Station on December 31, 2015. NASA/ESA/Tim Peake

Caspian Sea
The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on NASA's Landsat 8 satellite took this photo of gouges left by ice in the Caspian Sea.NASA

Central Asia
On May 31, 2016, the Expedition 47 crew aboard the International Space Station took this photo of beams of light shining over central Asia. NASA

FILE:  Eruption Of Cleveland Volcano
The Cleveland volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands erupting on May 23, 2009.NASA via Getty Images

Shuttle Endeavour On Mision To International Space Station
The space shuttle Endeavour prepares to dock with the International Space Station on November 16, 2008.NASA via Getty Images

Space Shuttle Endeavour Makes Last Trip To ISS Under Command Of Astronaut Mark Kelly
Earth's atmosphere against a starry night sky, along with a wing of the Endeavour space shuttle, can be seen in this photo taken on May 28, 2011. NASA via Getty Images

Hurricane Patricia Seen From Space
Scott Kelly took this photo of Hurricane Patricia gathering over Mexico from the International Space Station on October 23, 2015. Scott Kelly/NASA via Getty Images

Mediterranean
Astronaut Tim Peake took this photo of the Mediterranean lit up at night on January 25, 2016. NASA/ESA/Tim Peake

Noctilucent Clouds
Peake captured rare high-altitude noctilucent or "night shining" clouds from the International Space Station on May 29, 2016.NASA/ESA/Tim Peake

Northwestern Austrailia
Jeff Williams photographed the northwestern coast of Australia on March 29, 2016. NASA/Jeff Williams

Reefs Mozambique
Tim Peake posted this photo of coral reefs off the coast of Mozambique to his Twitter on May 29, 2016. Tim Peake/Twitter

Sea Of Okhotsk
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite took this photo of clouds and ice over the Okhotsk Sea on February 8, 2016. NASA/LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS

Salt Desert
Tim Peake compared Iran's Great Salt Desert to Mars in this photo posted to Twitter on June 7, 2016. Tim Peake/Twitter

Horn Of Africa
European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took this photo of the Horn of Africa from the International Space Station on January 30, 2015. NASA/ESA/Samantha Cristoforetti


After seeing these captivating pictures of Earth from space, check out some of the best photos that astronaut Scott Kelly took from space. Then, enjoy 25 vintage Apollo photos that place you at the scenes of some of NASA's most important moments.

author
Elisabeth Sherman
author
Elisabeth Sherman is a writer living in Jersey City, New Jersey. She holds a Master's in writing from Columbia University, and her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Guardian, Yahoo, BBC, HuffPost, VICE, MSN, and Vulture.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.