Astronauts on the International Space Station used a digital camera to capture this dazzling photograph of the aurora australis, or southern lights, while passing over the Indian Ocean on Sept. 17.
Waves of Dust Dance off African Coast
Giant ribbon-like patterns of dust plumes blew off the west coast of Africa and out over the Atlantic Ocean in late September 2011. Some extend westward while others curve south in giant arcs.
Wild Weather Turns Hudson River Red
In the wake of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, sediment choked the Hudson River in New York City in early September 2011. The river's unusual brown or reddish hue was likely driven by runoff occurring upstate.
Space Station Astronauts Observe Texas Wildfires
A panoramic view of east-central Texas acquired by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) highlights a wide range of smoke plumes caused by wildfires burning throughout the state.
A Rare Cloud-Free Panorama of Franz Josef Land
Russia's northernmost territory, Franz Josef Land, is an archipelago of 191 islands in the northeastern Barents Sea. On Aug. 17, clear skies allowed the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on NASA's Terra satellite to acquire this striking view.
Northwestern Europe at Night
Several of the oldest cities of northwestern Europe are highlighted in this astronaut photograph acquired just after midnight on Aug. 10, 2011. While the landscape is dotted with light clusters from individual urban areas, the metropolitan areas of London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam appear much brighter because of their large light footprints.
Bloom in the Barents Sea
A massive bloom of phytoplankton creates brilliant shades of blues and greens that explode across the Barents Sea”a rare Earth observation treat because the Barents Sea is obscured by cloud cover roughly 80 percent of the time during summer.
Smoke Hazes Outer Banks Beaches
Beach vacationers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina recently experienced hazy conditions from smoke that drifted in from Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp wildfire.
Massachusetts Coast Bathed in Sunglint
The Crew Earth Observations team at NASA's Johnson Space Center sends daily ground targets to astronauts on the International Space Station to photograph. But sometimes the striking displays visible from orbit inspire the crew to take imagery on their own.
Images Show How Boulder Fire Opened the Floodgates
Residents west of Boulder, Colo., had to evacuate last September during the Fourmile Canyon fire. As they returned to their homes, the U.S. Geological Survey cautioned that the scorched surroundings now had become ripe for flooding. The floods”and another evacuation”came on July 13, 2011.
