Buzz
For centuries, humanity struggled to break free from Earth's limitations in hopes of exploring the vast expanse of the cosmos, yet we eventually chose to turn our gaze back to where we started. Ironically, Earth remains the focal point of our observations from space.
While scientists have captured countless photographs of distant planets, galaxies, and far-off regions in the universe, images of Earth from space are in the millions. With the aid of advanced space technologies, we've been able to photograph and study every inch of our planet from a celestial viewpoint, broadening our understanding of the world in ways never before possible.
However, out of the vast array of Earth’s images, only a select few have managed to leave a lasting imprint on our collective memory. The breathtaking vistas in these photos, along with the unique circumstances behind their capture, often contribute to their lasting fame.
Below, we present 10 of the most striking space images of Earth—some widely known, others lesser-known—but each carrying an incredible story of its own.
10. A Shooting Star Observed from Space
When we picture a shooting star, it's natural to envision ourselves gazing at the night sky, watching a blazing fireball streak across the heavens. This mental image is shaped by the fact that we are used to observing shooting stars from the surface of Earth.
However, this is not the case for everyone. On August 13, 2011, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured a photo of Earth while the station passed over China. The uniqueness of this image lies in the fact that it depicts a small streak of light crossing the Earth’s atmosphere.
The astronaut shared the photograph with a tweet that read: “What a ‘Shooting Star’ looks like from space, taken yesterday during Perseid Meteor Shower.” The bright streak was indeed a meteor seen from above, part of the Perseid meteor shower that happens every August.
Due to scientists' growing interest in observing meteor showers from space, a camera aboard the ISS has been capturing these events since 2016, resulting in some awe-inspiring videos. With the ability to view meteors from space without atmospheric interference, the scientific community has gained valuable insights into the composition of meteorites that strike Earth.
9. Floating Above the World Below
This story not only features a stunning image of Earth but also highlights an extraordinary achievement by humankind. In 1984, NASA launched a mission to test a prototype space jetpack for astronauts, known as the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
In February of that year, astronaut Bruce McCandless made his first journey into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger to test the jetpack. After conducting some trials inside the spacecraft, McCandless ventured into the vastness of space, wearing the MMU. On February 7, 1984, he became the first person to complete a spacewalk entirely free of tethers to his ship.
This unforgettable moment was captured in a panoramic photograph taken from Challenger while Bruce McCandless was floating approximately 98 meters (320 ft) away from the shuttle. The photo says it all: It was just him and his jetpack, drifting in the vast expanse of the blackness of space, with the blue planet Earth beneath him.
Before his passing in December 2017, McCandless revealed to National Geographic that he didn't take the time to look down at Earth during his untethered journey. However, he did observe that he was flying over the state of Florida at one point.
McCandless also shared that witnessing Earth in its entirety from space profoundly alters an astronaut’s perspective on the world and the transient nature of our divisions as a species.
8. Light and Shadow
Following the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea and North Korea were on similar economic footing. However, while South Korea’s economy surged in the subsequent decades, North Korea fell deeper into poverty.
In the 1990s, the Soviet Union disintegrated and ceased providing fuel to North Korea, which had been one of its favored nations. This, coupled with a catastrophic famine in North Korea at the same time, led to a sharp reduction in the country’s energy supply.
Few things reveal the fragile energy infrastructure of North Korea like satellite images. In January 2014, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured a photograph of the Korean peninsula during the night.
In the upper part of the photo, China can be seen, with the bright glow of South Korea visible in the lower right corner. Between the two nations, a nearly pitch-black void blends seamlessly with the dark waters of the surrounding seas. This is actually North Korea.
The only notable light in North Korea is emanating from its capital, Pyongyang, a city that once had over three million residents. Yet, the brightness of Pyongyang pales in comparison to the vibrant lights of the smaller towns in South Korea.
Upon the release of the ISS image to the public, North Korea swiftly responded with remarks, asserting that “the essence of [its] society is not on flashy lights.” Nevertheless, the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un, encouraged his people to put in extra effort to restore the country’s electricity supply.
7. The First Space Selfie
Taking selfies has become a global trend. In fact, it is estimated that over a million selfies are captured each day across the world. Most of these pictures are taken in beautiful or unique places on Earth.
However, snapping a selfie in outer space with the entire Earth as a backdrop is a rare privilege enjoyed by only a select few. These extraordinary photographs are referred to as “space selfies.”
In November 1966, NASA launched the Gemini 12 mission to assess astronauts' ability to dock with another spacecraft in orbit. One of the crew members on board was Buzz Aldrin, who would later make history as the second person to set foot on the Moon.
Gemini 12 marked Aldrin's first space flight, during which he spent a record-breaking five and a half hours outside the spacecraft. While the astronauts had a camera to document their mission, Buzz Aldrin had the idea to test it on himself.
To accomplish this, the astronauts needed to adjust the spacecraft’s orientation. As the camera was mounted on the ship, they rotated it to the appropriate angle and shut off the thrusters to avoid any light flares in the shot.
With the hatch of the spacecraft open, Buzz stood in his seat and snapped the camera in front of him. Thus, the second person to walk on the Moon also became the first individual to capture a space selfie. As a fun fact, this photograph was sold for $9,200 at an auction in 2015.
6. Blue Marbles
In what remains the last crewed mission to the Moon to this day, the Apollo 17 crew launched from Earth on the night of December 7, 1972. During their journey, astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ron Evans had to follow a precise routine to navigate the massive Saturn V rocket that carried them to the Moon. As a result, they were unable to take photos or gaze out the window.
However, when they were about 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles) from Earth, one of the astronauts couldn’t resist taking a glance back at our planet. With the only camera available to him at that moment, he captured a stunning image of Earth. This photo became the first full-color image showcasing the entire planet.
The photograph became a worldwide sensation, appearing on the front pages of countless newspapers. In fact, as the picture—now known as “The Blue Marble Shot”—is in the public domain, it is believed to be the most reproduced image in history. The Apollo 17 crew members could never agree on who actually took the iconic photograph.
Over the following decades, NASA released similar images of Earth, but all of those were composites made from multiple pictures taken at different times. It wasn’t until 43 years later that we received another genuine Blue Marble shot, this time from the DSCOVR satellite.
Launched in 2015, the satellite was a collaborative mission between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its orbit allows for a continuous view of the Earth’s sunlit side, enabling a new full-view image of our planet to be captured.
5. Eclipses as Observed from Space
Total solar eclipses occur approximately once every 18 months at specific locations on Earth, and such phenomena have been recorded from space several times. For instance, astronauts aboard the now-defunct Mir space station took an incredible photo of a total solar eclipse darkening Earth in August 1999. However, a more recent solar eclipse to highlight is the one that passed over North America on August 21, 2017.
The eclipse was partial across the entire United States but total across 14 states. It not only captivated scientists, who eagerly studied the phenomenon, but also became one of the most watched events in US history.
Utilizing its advanced technology, NASA meticulously captured the eclipse. From a distance of around 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) using the DSCOVR satellite, the agency acquired 12 images that documented the path of the Moon’s shadow across the Earth’s surface.
The result is a brief video sequence that captures the eclipse as it moves across the visible hemisphere of Earth from space. Normally, DSCOVR captures about 20 images of Earth daily. However, to mark the event and for research purposes, the scientists configured the instruments to take additional pictures that day. As a result, the video presents the eclipse's movement at a faster pace than it actually unfolded.
4. The Pale Blue Dot
In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft named Voyager to explore planets beyond Earth. Thirteen years later, Voyager 1 was nearing the edge of our solar system.
On February 14, 1990, the engineers made the decision to turn Voyager 1's camera around to take one final look at our planetary neighborhood. From a distance of 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles)—further than any other human spacecraft had traveled before—the probe captured 60 images, which were then combined to form the first “portrait” of the solar system.
In one of the photographs, multiple bands of color are visible, which represent light rays due to the Sun's proximity to the shot. In the middle of the image, within one of these bands, Earth can be seen. The planet appears as a tiny dot, just 0.12 pixels in diameter, offering no distinguishing features beyond its brightness. It blends almost seamlessly with the surrounding darkness of space.
In 1994, the renowned astronomer Carl Sagan released a book in which he reflected on this iconic image of Earth, which he famously referred to as a 'Pale Blue Dot.' Sagan's words on the image were poignant: '[E]veryone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of . . . lived there—on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.'
3. Earthrise
Apollo 8, the first crewed mission to the Moon, launched on December 21, 1968. Astronauts Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and James Lovell made history as the first humans to leave Earth’s orbit and travel to another celestial body. Their mission was to orbit the Moon and scout for possible landing sites for future lunar expeditions.
During their fourth orbit on December 24, as the astronauts came around the Moon’s far side, they noticed a small blue sphere rising over the lunar horizon. It was Earth, glowing through one of the spacecraft’s windows.
Although the mission was intended for reconnaissance and the crew was not supposed to photograph Earth, they were so captivated by the sight of the crescent Earth that they couldn’t resist capturing the moment. At that time, they were also preparing to broadcast a live reading from the Bible’s Book of Genesis.
For a brief moment, the astronauts thought they had lost sight of Earth. However, when Lovell spotted it again from another window, Anders quickly snapped a color photograph of it. They then proceeded with their mission, completing the Genesis reading as planned.
The resulting photo, later known as 'Earthrise,' became one of the most iconic images ever captured and played a significant role in inspiring global environmental movements like Earth Day. Following the flight, Anders remarked, 'We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.'
2. The First Photo Taken From Space
For much of the early 20th century, the true appearance of Earth from space remained a mystery. The highest altitude humans had reached to capture images of our planet was about 22 kilometers (13.7 mi) using large balloons. This changed in 1946 when we found a new way to travel much higher.
Following the conclusion of World War II, the United States gained possession of V-2 rockets originally developed by Nazi Germany. These powerful missiles, once responsible for immense destruction, were now repurposed by American scientists, who replaced their warheads with scientific equipment.
One such V-2 rocket was outfitted with cameras designed to capture images every 1.5 seconds. On October 24, 1946, the rocket ascended to a height of 105 kilometers (65 mi). It then captured the first-ever photograph of Earth from space.
In the photo, we can see the southwestern part of North America, partially obscured by clouds, along with the distinct curvature of the Earth. After completing its mission, the rocket descended back to Earth, and the remains, including the camera, crashed to the ground at a speed of about 550 kilometers per hour (342 mph).
The recording tape, however, remained unharmed because it was stored in a steel can. Researchers were able to retrieve and study the images, and their excitement over this discovery was palpable. A 1950 article from National Geographic described the images as showing 'how our Earth would appear to visitors from another planet arriving aboard a spaceship.'
1. The Discovery of a Deadly Island by a Satellite
As part of NASA's Landsat initiative, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) was launched in 1972 with the purpose of capturing detailed images of Earth’s surface and landmasses. In 1973, researcher Elizabeth Fleming began examining the images transmitted by ERTS-1 to identify previously unknown islands near the coasts of Canada. The northern shores of Labrador, last mapped in 1911, were among the less explored areas.
While reviewing the images, Fleming initially thought the white spots scattered across the ocean were icebergs. However, she soon realized they were small patches of land. One of these land areas, located approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) from the Labrador coastline, piqued her interest.
It was notably larger than the other patches, measuring 25 meters (82 ft) by 45 meters (148 ft), which made it officially classified as an island—a newly discovered one. In 1976, Dr. Frank Hall from the Canadian Hydrographic Service was assigned the task of verifying the presence of this small island.
Using a harness, Hall was lowered from a helicopter to the icy surface of the island. Just as he was about to land, a polar bear attempted to attack him, likely considering him its next meal. The bear was camouflaged by its white fur and had been positioned on the highest point of the island.
In an instant, Hall yanked the cable and managed to climb back into the helicopter on his own. Reflecting on the near-miss, he stated that he almost became the first person to perish on the island. Afterward, Hall proposed that the island be named Polar Island.
However, in 1979, the island was officially named Landsat Island, after the satellite that discovered it, ERTS-1, which had been renamed Landsat 1. While satellite images are already fascinating, the story behind this particular discovery adds even more intrigue.
