What the earth looks like from different points in the solar system. The most famous photographs of Earth from space Red Sea image from space

The nature of our planet is diverse and unique. Traveling around our planet and photographing nature, you can create amazingly beautiful pictures. Photos of the Earth from space, from an altitude of more than 700,000 meters, do not look like photos of nature we are used to. They rather resemble paintings by abstract artists.

The US Geological Survey has published unique photographs of the Earth obtained from the Lanstad 7 space satellite. These images clearly show both natural landscapes and the creations of human hands. They photographed the destruction caused by natural anomalies and the negative consequences of human activity. These images are true satellite photographs of the Earth's surface, created by transferring visible and infrared data to print in colors visible to the human eye. Special combinations of ranges and colors were chosen to optimize these gorgeous shots.

Bogda Mountains in China

The Turpan Depression, located at the foot of the Bogda Mountains, consists of salt lakes and sand dunes. The Turpan depression is notable for being the deepest in Central Asia and the third in the world after the Dead Sea basin and Lake Kinneret.

Southwest coast of the Netherlands

The delta area in the southwest of the country, formed by the estuaries of several rivers, is protected from flooding by rows of dams and dams. After unusually powerful tides devastated the area in the spring of 1953, an intricate system of dams, canals, dams and bridges was built to contain the North Sea.

Akpatok Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

The island is located at the northwest entrance to Ungava Bay. The island is surrounded by steep cliffs ranging from 40 to 250 meters high. The island is a safe haven for migratory and nesting birds. The numerous ice floes around the island attract walruses and whales, making Akpatok a traditional hunting ground for the indigenous Inuit people.

China

An alluvial cone formed between the Anlun and Kunlun mountain ranges on the southern border of the Taklamakan Desert in China. Alluvial cones are formed on land, at the foot of the mountains, where water carries out debris by a stream, which is deposited in the form of a convex semi-cone, with its apex facing the place of removal.

Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Southwestern part of the Atlas Mountains, located in the west of North Africa. It is home to some of the richest but undeveloped mineral deposits in the world.

Bolivia

This picture shows how the pristine Amazon rainforest is being barbarously cut down. The intact forests are highlighted in red.

Mountain Range Brandberg, Namibia

Located in Damaraland, in the northwestern part of the Namib Desert, close to the coast and covers an area of ​​about 650 square kilometers. Brandberg is the result of an ancient earthquake, as a result of which molten granite flowed through the formed fault to the surface of the earth. Unique communities of plants and animals inhabit its high-altitude environment, while prehistoric cave paintings adorn the steep cliffs.

Cabo San Antonio, province of Buenos Aires

Cape Cabo San Antonio in Argentina, more than 500 kilometers long, wedges into the Atlantic Ocean.

Cancun

Famous for its beaches and hotels, Cancun is located on the Yucatan island. The rainforests located in the interior of the peninsula hide the ruins of Mayan buildings.

Volcano Colima, Mexico

A volcano in western Mexico, 80 km from the Pacific coast. The most active volcano in Mexico, it has erupted more than 40 times since 1576. Includes two peaks: one is extinct, the other is active.

State of Campeche, Mexico

Named after the province of the ancient Mayans, Campeche includes much of the western part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. In the West, it is washed by the Gulf of Mexico. More than 40% of the state's territory is considered a protected natural area.

Coahuila, Mexico

This desert landscape is part of the Siedra Madre mountain range, which traverses the state of Coahuila from northwest to southeast.

Deshte Kevir, Iran

Deshte Kevir (Great Salt Desert), is the largest desert in Iran and one of the lifeless deserts on Earth. The surface of the desert is covered with salt crusts that protect the scarce moisture from complete evaporation.

Demini River, Brazil

A section of the swampy Demini River in northwestern Brazil, which flows into the Amazon.

Devastation Canyon, USA

The Green River is a tributary of the Colorado River and flows through three states: Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. The river flows along the high-mountainous plateau Tavapust (above), then among the gorges and canyons. Passing through the Canyon of Desolation (center), its banks become steep and sheer and reach 5-6 thousand pounds in height. Devastation Canyon is the second largest in the United States after the Grand Canyon.

Mongolia

A transition zone located between the Mongolian steppes in the north and the dry arid desert of northern China in the south. In the local dialect Edrengiyn Nuruu.

Delta of the river Ganges

Where it flows into the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River forms a vast delta. The delta is covered in swampy forests known as Thunderbens, which is home to the royal Bengal tiger.

Garden City, Kansas, USA

This space image is like a fantastic mosaic panel. This is what Garden City, USA, looks like from space.

Ghadames river, Libya

Dry bed of the Ghadames river on a plateau near the Tinchet mountains in Libya.

Gosses Bluff Crater

About 130 million years ago, a crater 14 km in diameter and 4 km in depth was formed as a result of the fall of an asteroid or comet into the Missionary Plain in Australia. In the language of local residents, it is called Tnorala, that is, "Devil's rock of the fiery step of the sun."

Great Salt Desert, Iran

Shallow lakes and winding desert valleys are more like paint splashes on canvas than a desert landscape. The desert is located in an uninhabited area in Iran.

Sand dunes, Australia

There are no more deserts equal to it in size in Australia. Due to the arid climate, agricultural activity is not possible here. The variegation of color is caused by the complexity and diversity of the geological structure of the desert.

Sand dunes, Australia

The photo shows part of the Great Sandy Desert of Australia. Sand dunes are shown in the image with yellow horizontal lines. The lightest spot in the photo is a trail of fire.

Baffin Sea

Baffin Bay, between Greenland and Baffin Land, is ice-covered for most of the year.

Guinea-Bissau

Small country in West Africa. The extensive system of rivers of this country washes out a large amount of silt into the ocean. This silt is light blue in the satellite photo. Red - tropical forests.

Harrat Al Birk, Saudi Arabia

Dark volcanic cones in lava fields formed from erupted solidified lava along the coastline of the Red Sea are known as Harrat Al Birk. Such lava fields are often found on the Arabian Peninsula, their age ranges from 2 to 30 million years.

Himalayas

The mountain system, located between the Tibetan Plateau in the north and the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the south, is 2,900 km long and 350 km wide. Glaciers are located mainly around the largest mountain ranges and the highest peaks.

Iraqi army location

The area where Iraqi troops are stationed north of the city of Al-Basra. Previously, there was a swampy area, which was subsequently drained and fenced. Today it is a military training area.

Jau National Park, Brazil

One of the largest national parks in Brazil. Jau Park is located mainly in the basin of the Jau River, one of the small tributaries of the Rio Negro. The area of ​​the park covers the territories of several natural ecosystems of the Amazon: humid equatorial forests, never flooded areas of interfluves, periodically flooded high floodplains and flooded for many months by low floodplains. A wide variety of fauna is also associated with the so-called "black rivers". These rivers are usually deeper, the water in them is clear and has a darkish tint due to the organic remains of decaying plants.

Jordan

The river network of Jordan is formed by wadis - temporary watercourses, full-flowing only in winter during the rainy season. In the summer they dry up or become very shallow.

Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

The eastern part of the Kamchatka coast, covered with ice. On the right in the photo is the Bering Sea.

Von Karman's vortices, Aleutian Islands

The image shows circular swirls of clouds (the so-called von Karman vortices), resulting from the separation of air flows over land masses, in this case occurring over the Aleutian Islands of North America.

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro is clearly visible from almost all points of the savannahs of Tanzania and Kenya - steep slopes rise to a flat top. The gigantic size of the mountain forms its own microclimate.

Lake Konari, Iran

The small town of Konari in the Zagros mountains. In the lower left corner is the Caspian Sea.

Lake Amadeus, Australia

A drainless, salty, drying up Lake Amadeus in central Australia (top right). During the dry season, the surface of the lake turns into a surface sparkling with salt crystals. The yellow strokes in the photo are vegetation scorched by the sun.

Carnegie Lake, Australia

Carnegie Lake fills with water during the rainy season. In dry periods, it turns into a swamp.

Disappointment Lake, Australia

Salt Lake in Western Australia. Dries up in dry months. It got its name thanks to the traveler Frank Henn. Having studied a large number of streams in the study area, he hoped to find a freshwater lake. But to his disappointment, this lake was also salty.

Delta of the Lena River, Russia

It is the largest river delta in the world. For about seven months of the year, the river delta is covered with ice. The largest nature reserve in Russia is located not far from the Lena River basin. The dark blue above is the Arctic Ocean.

Malaspina Glacier, Alaska, USA

A glacier named after the navigator and geographer Alessandro Malaspina. The cold water of the melting glacier is reflected in blue.

Mississippi Delta, USA

The Mississippi is the longest river flowing in North America. Approximately every thousand years, the restless Mississippi River chooses new tributaries for itself, having already furrowed about 320 km of the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico in the delta.

Mount Etna, Italy

Etna is the active, highest volcano in Europe, located on the east coast of Sicily. The photo captured the volcanic eruption in 2001. Columns of steam and smoke are visible erupting from the crater and lava flows on the slopes of the mountain.

Namib Desert, Namibia

Coastal winds create 300m high sand dunes that are visible even from space.

Niger river, Africa

The river delta, which is 250 kilometers long and 325 kilometers wide, is the largest in Africa. The Niger River originates in the east Atlantic Ocean, in the highlands of Guinea. From there it turns northeast through Mali, passing through the sub-Saharan Desert, then turning south and passing through Niger and Nigeria to flow into the Gulf of Guinea.

Fjords of norway

In the northern part of the west coast of Norway, there are fjords that formed during the last ice age. Norway has the largest concentration of fjords in the world. The entire coast of Norway is cut by fjords. Some specimens go hundreds of meters deep.

Ocean sands of the Bahamas

This satellite photo shows the underwater sands off the coast of the Bahamas, formed by waves and ocean currents. The greenish color is algae.

Kalahari Desert, Namibia

The Kalahari is a vast kingdom of sand. Sand dunes are rapidly advancing on the once fertile and arable land. They are indicated by stripes in the picture. The pale pink color in the photo shows healthy vegetation.

Parana Delta, South America

The Parana River flows in the southern part of the continent through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Parana is the main waterway providing water supply and shipping in the region. The photo clearly shows the contrast between swamps (green) and forests (reddish).

Volcano Pinacate, Mexico

In the northwest of the Mexican state of Sonora, on the territory of the desert of the same name, there is a zone of extinct activity of the Pinacate volcano. Peace and quiet reigns here, occasionally disturbed by sudden eruptions of volcanic stones. Cones of craters, extending into the depths of the earth, are chaotically scattered throughout the desert.

Geological structure of Richat, Africa

The Richat structure is a geological formation in the western part of the Sahara Desert, called the "Eye of the Sahara" or "Eye of the Desert". The diameter of the crater is 50 km. The origin of the structure is still controversial among scientists and it is believed that sedimentary rocks of the Richat structure are the result of the action of erosion of the earth's crust.

Shoemaker Crater, Australia

A crater formed as a result of a meteorite falling about 1700 million years ago. The crater diameter is about 30 km.

Suleiman mountains, Pakistan

The Suleiman Mountains are located in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan and in the Afghan province of Zabul. The length of the mountains is about 600 km.

Syrian Desert

The Syrian Desert is a desert in the Middle East, between the Euphrates Valley and the eastern Mediterranean coast. Located on the territory of the states of Syria, Jordan, Iraq.

Oasis Terkezi, Chad

Sands of the Sahara Desert, near the Terkezi oasis in Chad.

Ugab River, Namibia

The Ugab River is vital to Namibia. It dries up during the dry season. During the heavy rainy season, the Ugab River valley becomes a refuge for elephants.

Vatnajokul glacier, Iceland

Vatnajokul is the largest glacier not only in Iceland, but also in Europe. Most of the country's rivers originate here. Vatnajokul (in the lane with the Icelandic glacier) was named so because of the lakes located under the ice in its volcanically active central part.

Volga River Basin, Russia

Basin of the Volga River, which splits into more than 500 channels. One of the largest rivers in the world. It flows into the Caspian Sea.

Westfjords, Iceland

The Western Fjords are a group of several peninsulas located in the northwest of Iceland.

Yukon Delta

A river that flows in the northwest of Canada and the United States and flows into the Bering Sea. The intricate, winding and tangled waterways of the river are like blood vessels. It is currently a national reserve.

1. In the photo - the mouth of the Betsibuca River in the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar... The image was taken on March 8, 2005 by a member of the ISS-10 crew, who worked on the ISS from October 16, 2004 to April 24, 2005.

2. The picture shows hurricane "Dean"- the strongest tropical cyclone of the Atlantic hurricane season. Photo taken on August 18, 2007 by crew members aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.

3. October 5-13, 1984 - view of the Greater Himalayas from the southwest... The photograph captures the territories of India, Pakistan and China. The picture was taken during the 6th flight of the Challenger shuttle by one of the crew members.

4. Great Lakes located in North America. In the foreground is Lake Ontario, and in the center of the image is the city of Detroit. The photo was taken in the period in September 1994 during the 19th space flight of Discovery.

5. Mount Cleveland eruption on the island of Chuginadak, North America. Photo taken on May 23, 2006 by members of the thirteenth long-term crew of the International Space Station ISS-13.

6. Flying over Madagascar... This image is the freshest in our selection: it was taken by cosmonaut Ricky Arnold, who launched on March 21 this year as flight engineer-2 of the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft together with Oleg Artemyev and Andrew Feistel. Two days later, the spacecraft docked to the Russian segment of the ISS.

7. And this famous shot from a distance of 29,000 kilometers back in 1972 by the crew of the Apollo 17 mission. The image is called the Blue Marble and shows the Earth fully illuminated by the Sun.

Take a moment to enjoy viewing 25 truly breathtaking photographs of the Earth and the Moon from space.

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

Spacecrafts launched by mankind enjoy a view of the Earth from a distance of thousands and millions of kilometers.

Photographed by Suomi NPP, an American meteorological satellite operated by NOAA.
Date: April 9, 2015

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

Their endless observations allow us to track the state of our world in the rare position of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

Taken by the DSCOVR spacecraft for observing the Sun and Earth.
Date: March 9, 2016

The DSCOVR spacecraft captured 13 images of the lunar shadow traveling across the Earth during the 2016 total solar eclipse.

But the deeper we go into space, the more we are fascinated by the sight of the Earth.

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

The Rosetta spacecraft is designed to study comet 67P / Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In 2007, he 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 brilliant blue marble, enveloped in a thin, almost invisible layer of gas.

Photographed by the Apollo 17 crew
Date: December 7, 1972

The crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft took this photograph, titled "The Blue Marble", during their last manned flight to the Moon. This is one of the most common snapshots of all time. It was filmed at a distance of about 29 thousand km from the Earth's surface. Africa is visible at the top left of the image, and Antarctica at the bottom.

And she drifts alone in the blackness of space.

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

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

Almost alone.

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

The moon is a cold stone ball 50 times smaller than the earth. She is our biggest and closest heavenly friend.

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

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

According to one hypothesis, the Moon formed after proto-earth collided with a planet the size of Mars about 4.5 billion years ago.

Photographed by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO, Lunar Orbital Probe).
Date: 12 October 2015

In 2009, NASA launched the LRO, an unmanned interplanetary probe looking at the cratered surface of the Moon, but seized the moment to capture this modern version of Earth Rising.

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

Taken with Lunar Orbiter 1.
Date: 23 August 1966

The automated unmanned spacecraft Lunar Orbiter 1 captured this photo while searching for a landing site on the moon.

Our exploration of the moon is a mixture of technological conquest ...

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

The Eagle, the Apollo 11 lunar module, is returning from the lunar surface.

and irrepressible human curiosity ...

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

A rare view of the far side of the moon taken by the China National Space Administration's lunar probe.

and looking for extreme adventures.

Photographed by the Apollo 10 crew.
Date: May 1969

This video was filmed by astronauts Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan during an Apollo 10 test flight to the moon (no landing). A similar image of Earth Rise can only be obtained from a moving ship.

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

Taken with 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 previously transmitted this image, in which the Earth and the north pole of the moon are visible.

Photographed by Mariner 10 station.
Date: November 3, 1973

A combination of two photographs (one of the Earth, the other of the Moon) taken by NASA's automated interplanetary probe 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 the way to study Jupiter and its moons, NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured this composite image. The moon, whose brightness is about three times lower than that of the Earth, is in the foreground, closer to the viewer.

and the more lonely he seems.

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

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

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

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

Most of the photographs of the Earth and the Moon are composite images made up of multiple images, since the objects are far from each other. But above, you see the first photograph in which our planet and its natural satellite are captured in one frame. The picture was taken by the Voyager 1 probe on its way to its "big tour" in the solar system.

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

Photographed by the Mars-Express automatic interplanetary station.
Date: July 3, 2003

The automatic interplanetary station of the European Space Agency "Max-Express" (Mars Express), heading for Mars, took this picture of the Earth at a distance of millions of kilometers.

This is a huge and empty space.

Taken 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 captured this image on its way to Mars.

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

Photographed by NASA's unmanned interplanetary station Juno.
Date: August 26, 2011.

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this image during its nearly 5-year voyage to Jupiter, where it is exploring 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 photograph of Earth looking like a tiny dot. NASA says it is "the first ever picture of the Earth taken from the surface of another planet outside the Moon."

Earth is lost in Saturn's shining ice rings.

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

NASA's Cassini space station snapped 165 photographs in the shadow of Saturn to compose this mosaic backlit image of the gas giant. The Earth has crept into the image on the left.

At a distance of billions of kilometers from the Earth, as Carl Sagan sarcastically noted, 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 automatic probe.
Date: February 14, 1990

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

From Sagan's speech:

“There is probably no better demonstration of stupid human conceit than this detached view 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 invariable: there is only one Earth, so we must do everything in our power to protect it, to protect it mainly from ourselves.

The Japanese artificial lunar satellite Kaguya (also known as SELENE) captured this video of Earth ascending over the Moon at 1000% acceleration in time for the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 8 crew of Earth Rising.

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

Very few lucky ones 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 read this - we once again say our sincere "thank you" to you! Indeed, before, we could only observe such views in films created at Hollywood film studios. But these photos are real.

1. Maldives.

"We will reveal to you the sunny side of life" - this is the slogan of tourists lured by tour operators to the Maldives. Well, they really look amazing from the window of the International Space Station. Well, we order a cocktail with fruit wedges 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 are approaching the Hawaiian Islands. The big island is very clear. 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. Aurora Borealis, New Zealand.

Don't you think that the aurora borealis in this photo resembles a laser show - amazing and mesmerizing?

4. Night view of the east coast of Spain.

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

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 the most active active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, with frequent deaths from eruptions, including 13 deaths in December 1996 and four more in March 2007. In general, this photo resembles an excellent scenery for some movie like "Jurassic Park" or "King Kong".

6. International Space Station.

The ISS is located over the east coast of Argentina over the Gulf of San Matias. Looking at these pictures can make you feel dizzy. Just imagine that you are up there, aboard the International Space Station, looking at our planet upside down ... - how are you with the vestibular apparatus?

7. Lake Beaver in Arkansas, USA.

Beaver Lake is a man-made reservoir in the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas, where White River was born. Sometimes artificial reservoirs are wiped off the face of the earth by forest fires, but humanity continues to change the planet with amazing tenacity.

8. US East Coast 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 is the cause? Only $ 20 million ...

9. Earth and stars.

So this is what the Milky Way looks like when the light of night cities does not overshadow 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 in the universe there are three million million galaxies like this one. And in them, perhaps, there is at least one version of ourselves. "

10. Night clouds over Long Beach, California.

This truly amazing place is Long Beach. The place where you can meet "Queen Mary" and "Pacific Ocean Aquarium". But the best thing to do here is to go on a sea trip where you can watch friendly gray whales. During migration, they swim to the very shore.

11. Great Britain and Ireland at night.

These lands 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 amazing. As the sun disappears below the horizon, the last sunlight tinges the solar panels in amazing hues.

14. French Riviera at night.
The Côte 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. This is perhaps the only place that can compare to southern California.

15. Bright lights of Barcelona at night.

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

17. Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Cape Cod, which locals simply refer to as Cape, is an island and headland in eastern Massachusetts. The sun is reflected in the watery surface of the Atlantic Ocean, turning it into living gold, shading the amazing cape.

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

20.Sicily, Italy
Sicily is considered the birthplace of the mafia thanks to the series of films "The Godfather". But in fact, it is a beautiful and absolutely magical island, full of passionate people who love music and food, and with desperate courage living in the shadow of the ancient Mount Etna. In this image, it is difficult to make out what exactly is 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 Hadith dam. From space, she looks like a Chinese dragon ready to charge. There are many amazing places in Iraq, which, unfortunately, cannot be reached 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 in other historical places.

22. Atoll, shaped like a heart, east of the Solomon Islands.
This atoll is especially loved by astronauts on the International Space Station. They sent this picture to Earth on Valentine's Day. An atoll is a coral island that covers part or all of the lagoon. If you look closely, you can understand that in fact this atoll is the top 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 decrease 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 Turkey
Beautiful clear photo of Hellas (Greece), Turkey and Crete. Crete has a rich mythology associated mainly with the Greek gods, as well as with the Minoan civilization. Crete in Greek mythology is considered the birthplace of the god Zeus. The famous Knossos labyrinth is also located here.

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

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

"Post from the Past": Colonel Douglas H. Wheelock took over command of the International Space Station and the crew of Expedition 25 on September 22, after the Expedition 23 crew was sent into space. board the space station. We bring to your attention incredible, breathtaking photos of our planet from an unusual point of view. Comments provided by Douglas.

1. Forward, "Discovery"! On October 23, 2007 at 11:40 am I went into space for the first time on the Discovery shuttle. He's beautiful ... too bad this is his last flight. I look forward to boarding the ship and it will arrive at the station in November.

2. Earthly radiance. A space station in a blue terrestrial glow, which appears when the rising sun penetrates the subtle atmosphere of our planet, and the station is flooded with blue light. I will never forget this place ... this kind of soul sings, but the heart wants to fly.

3. NASA astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock.

4. Juan de Nova Island in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and Africa. The amazing color scheme of these places rivals the views of the Caribbean Sea.

5. Northern lights in the distance on one of the beautiful nights over Europe. The photo clearly shows the Strait of Dover, however, like Paris, the city of lights. Light fog over western England, particularly London. How incredible it is to see the lights of cities and towns against the background of deep space. I will miss this view of our wonderful world.

6. “Fly me to the Moon… let me dance among the Stars…” (Take me to the Moon, let's dance among the stars). I hope we never lose the feeling of wonder. A passion for exploration and discovery is a great legacy to leave with your kids. Hopefully someday we will set sail and go on a journey. Someday this wonderful day will come ...

7. Of all the places on our magnificent planet, few can compete in beauty and richness of colors. This photo shows our ship "Progress-37" against the backdrop of the Bahamas. How beautiful our world is!

8. At a speed of 28163 km / h (8 km per second) ... we orbit the Earth, making one revolution every 90 minutes, and watching sunsets and sunrises every 45 minutes. So half of our journey takes place in pitch darkness. For work, we just need headlamps on our helmets. In this photo I am preparing the handle of one device ... "M3 Ammonia Connector".

9. Every time I look out the window and see our beautiful planet, my soul sings! I see blue skies, white clouds and a bright blessed day.

10. Another spectacular sunset. In Earth's orbit, we see 16 of these sunsets every day, and each of them is truly valuable. This beautiful thin blue line is what sets our planet apart from many others. It is cold in space, and the Earth is an island of life in the vast dark sea of ​​space.

11. A beautiful atoll in the Pacific Ocean, photographed with a 400mm lens. Approximately 1930 km south of Honolulu.

12. Wonderful reflection of sunlight in the eastern Mediterranean. From space, no borders are visible ... From there, only a breathtaking view opens, such as, for example, the view of this island of Cyprus.

13. Over the center of the Atlantic Ocean, before another amazing sunset. Below, in the rays of the setting sun, the spirals of Hurricane Earl are visible. An interesting look at the life energy of our sun. Sunbeams on the left side of the station and on Hurricane Earl ... these two objects collect the last particles of energy before plunging into darkness.

14. A little further east we saw the sacred monolith of Uluru, better known as Ayers Rock. I have never had the opportunity to visit Australia, but someday I hope to be standing next to this natural wonder.

15. Morning over the Andes in South America. I do not know for sure the name of this peak, but I was simply amazed at its magic, reaching out to the sun and winds of the peaks.

16. Over the Sahara Desert, approaching ancient lands and thousand-year history. The Nile River flows through Egypt past the pyramids of Giza in Cairo. Further, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, as well as the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea and Greece on the horizon.

17. Night view of the Nile River, stretching like a snake through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, and Cairo, located in the river delta. What a contrast between the dark, lifeless desert of northern Africa and the Nile River, on the banks of which life is in full swing. In the distance, this image, taken on a lovely autumn evening, overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

18. Our unmanned 'Progress 39P' approaches the ISS for refueling. It is full of food, fuel, spare parts and everything needed for our station. There was a real gift inside - fresh fruits and vegetables. What a miracle after three months of tube feeding!

20. Union 23C Olympus module docked to the nadir side. When our work is finished here, we will return home to Earth. I thought you might be interested in seeing this sight through the Dome. We fly over the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus. The rising sun reflects off the Caspian Sea.

21. A flash of color, movement and life on the canvas of our amazing world. This is part of the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia, captured through a 1200mm lens. I think even the great impressionists would have been amazed at this natural painting.

22. All the beauty of Italy on a clear summer evening. You can see many beautiful islands that adorn the coastline - Capri, Sicily and Malta. Naples and Mount Vesuvius stand out along the coast.

23. At the southern end of South America lies the pearl of Patagonia. The amazing beauty of rocky mountains, massive glaciers, fjords and the open sea is combined in amazing harmony. I dreamed about this place. I wonder what it feels like to breathe in the air there. Real magic!

24. The "Dome" on the nadir side of the station gives a panoramic view of our beautiful planet. Fedor took this picture from the window of the Russian docking bay. In this photo, I am sitting in the dome preparing my camera for our evening flight over Hurricane Earl.