NASA Earth Observatory, opens up the opportunity for us to witness the beauty of Earth. It is a website run by EOSPSO, NASA’s Earth Observing System Project Science Office. The website contains many high quality imagery from many different satellites with detailed descriptions and articles. Now I can understand how much fun an astronaut has.

Here are some stunning imagery I pick up from the Earth Observatory collections. Many of the imagery are freely available for re-publication or re-use with some restrictions. However, for original imagery and info, please visit the Earth Observatory site.

1. Earth Viewed by Apollo 8

The Apollo 8 astronauts took this stunning photo and bring back to Earth in late December 1968. Before humanity ventured to the Moon, our view of our home planet consisted of what we could see from horizon to horizon. (Image Science & Analysis Laboratory | Johnson Space Center | NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth)

2. Deforestation in Mato Grosso, Brazil

NASA’s satellite captured this image from Mato Grosso, an inland state of central Brazil, deep in the Amazon interior. (Jesse Allen | United States Geological Survey and ASTER | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

3. Blood Falls, Antarctica’s Dry Valleys

A row of valleys in Antarctica named Dry Valleys, due to the extremely low humidity and the lack of snow. People belief is also one of the world’s most extreme deserts. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

4. Sirmilik National Park, Canada

This is a natural-color image captured on October 2, 2008. There are three main land sections in Sirmilik National Park, namely Borden Peninsula, Bylot Island, and the terrain around Oliver Sound. Several parts of Sirmilik were free of snow. (Jeff Schmaltz | MODIS Rapid Response Team)

5. Hurricane Gustav

Gustav is a major storm threatens the mainland United States. Its formation in the Caribbean Sea has battered Haiti toward the Gulf of Mexico. (Jesse Allen | University of Wisconsin’s Space Science | Engineering Center MODIS Direct Broadcast system)

6. Crack in the Petermann Glacier

Covering along the northwestern coast of Greenland, Petermann Glacier’s floating ice tongue is the Northern Hemisphere’s largest, and it has occasionally calved large icebergs. NASA’s satellite captured this image of the rift on the Petermann Glacier on September 7, 2008. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

7. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Alaska

NASA satellite took this image of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park on August 1, 1999. This is a natural-color image showing the park’s mix of ice, water and vegetation in summertime. (Jesse Allen | U.S. National Park Service | Innovative Technology Administration | United States Geological Survey)

8. Sea Ice off Greenland Coast

NASA satellite caught such an image on July 25, 2006. Glaciers and ocean currents produce this striking display in shapes and colors. (Jesse Allen | Earth Observatory | Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC)

9. Wintertime Disintegration of Wilkins Ice Shelf

Wilkins Ice Shelf is in Antarctic Peninsula. This image was captured the disintegration event on July 17, 2008. Some of the thin blocks are broken off the shelf and moving away. (Jesse Allen | European Space Agency (ESA) | Ted Scambos | National Snow and Ice Data Center)

10. Kondyor Massif, Russian Far East

Kondyor Massif, Russian Far East was formed by the intrusion of rock, some of them exist billion years ago. Taken on June 10, 2006, this image shows the bright green thin vegetation, a river that flows out of the massif. (Jesse Allen | GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

11. Western Namibia

NASA captured this image on January 10, 2000, just east of the Namib Desert sand dunes. Deep orange color is the Iron oxides lend the sand. (Robert Simmon | United State Geological Survey (USGS))

12. Zion Canyon, Utah

Zion National Park is a United States National Park located in the southern Utah regions of Dixie and Canyon Country. The park protects the incredible rock formations and high sandstone cliffs within its boundaries and is a favorite spot for Hiking, backpacking, canyoneering and climbing. In fact, Zion has some of the most spectacular trails in the National Park System. (ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment | Johnson Space Center | The International Space Station Program)

13. Unusual Wave Clouds over the Aral Sea

NASA satellite captured this distinctive lines of clouds stretch out from the shore of the Aral Sea on March 12, 2009. This particular pattern over the Aral Sea is highly unusual. (Jeff Schmaltz | MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC)

14. Continuing Activity at Chaiten Volcano

On January 19, 2009, NASA’s satellite captured an image of Chile’s Chaitén Volcano. After staying dormant for about 9,000 years, Chaitén Volcano began its eruption in May 2008. The volcano remained active, releasing steam and volcanic ash to the nearby town of the same name. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

15. The World Archipelago, Persian Gulf

Dubai undertook a massive engineering project to create hundreds of artificial islands along its Persian Gulf coastline. The islands were shaped into recognizable forms, including two large palm trees, and even more ambitiously, a map of the world (as shown in the photo). Satellites images from the past decade have documented the islands’ creation. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

16. Snow and Fog in Pacific Northwest

On the heels of a winter storm, snow topped mountain peaks while low clouds filled valleys in the Pacific Northwest in mid-January 2009. (Jeff Schmaltz | MODIS Rapid Response | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

17. Northern Hokkaido, Japan

Sea ice formed delicate swirls of blue and white in the Sea of Okhotsk in February 2009. This image acquired by NASA’s satellite shows the northern coast of Japan’s Hokkaido Island. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

18. Clouds Streets and von Karman Vortices, Greenland Sea

On February 24, 2009, cold northerly winds encountered moist air over the Greenland Sea, and their meeting generated dozens of parallel rows of clouds, commonly called “cloud streets” in the skies around the island of Jan Mayen. (Jeff Schmaltz | MODIS Rapid Response Team)

19. Ice on Lake Superior

A relatively rare blanket of ice rested on the surface of Lake Superior in early March 2009. NASA’s satellite captured this image of the lake and its surroundings. (MODIS Rapid Response Team | Goddard Space Flight Center | Walt Meier, National Snow and Ice Data Center)

20. Minchinmavida and Chaiten Volcanoes, Chile

The Andes Mountains along the western coastline of South America include numerous active stratovolcanoes (steep-sided, cone-shaped volcanoes). This astronaut photograph highlights two volcanoes located in southern Chile. (ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment | Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center | NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth)

21. Breaks in Ice on the Volga River

With most of the country located at high northern latitudes, far from the temperature-moderating influence of oceans, much of Russia experiences bitterly cold winters. Wintertime temperatures are usually cold enough to freeze rivers and lakes with ice crusts that are thick enough to walk and even drive on. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

22. Sao Simao Reservoir, Brazil: 300,000th ISS image of the Earth

The São Simão Reservoir, near the confluence of the Rio Paranaiba and Rio Verde in Brazil, is the featured subject in a milestone image of Earth. Image was captured on November 22, 2007. (ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment | Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center | NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth)

23. Chorabari Glacier, India

Himalaya glaciers feed major rivers such as the Ganges, and one such glacier is Chorabari Glacier in India. Situated between the Kedarnath summit to the north and the town of Kedarnath to the south, this glacier produces a vigorous stream that eventually merges with the Ganges River. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

24. Spider Crater, Western Australia

Satellite sensors and airplane passengers alike can see a giant arachnid sprawling over the arid landscape over the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia. This spider’s not just big, it’s old. (Jesse Allen | NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS | U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team)

25. Contrail Web over the Central Rhône Valley, Eastern France

This digital photograph taken through the windows of the International Space Station on May 15, 2002, shows condensation trails over the Rhône Valley in the region west of Lyon. (Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory | NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.)