10 amazing shots of the Earth from space in 2022
Earth-orbiting satellites and astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have provided us with an entirely new perspective on our planet in recent decades, and 2022 was no different. From eerie blue blobs and swirling silvery seas to undersea volcanoes and roaming icebergs, here are some of our favorite images of Earth from satellites and space stations released in 2022.
Three multicolored lakes
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The Landsat 8 satellite, owned by NASA and the US Geological Survey, captured a stunning true-color image of three multicolored lakes in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley: Lake Shala (left), Lake Abegata (center), and Lagoon. Langano (right).
The dark blue color of Lake Shala is a result of its deep waters, which have a maximum depth of 873 feet (266 meters). Lake Abigata, which has a maximum depth of only 46 feet (14 m), is green thanks to a bloom of photosynthetic algae. Lake Langano, meanwhile, gets its yellow color from rivers carrying nearby mountain sediments there.
The disparate appearance of the lakes is even more surprising given that all three were part of one ancient body of water known as Gala Lake.
Read more: Three yellow, blue, and green lakes in Ethiopia amaze in amazing satellite imagery
Shark volcano erupting under the sea
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The Landsat 9 satellite captured a stunning snapshot of an underwater volcanic eruption from the Cavache volcano in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, whose summit is 65 feet (20 meters) below sea level.
During a 2015 expedition to Kavachi, researchers discovered that the crater is home to two species of sharks – hammerheads (Sphyrna sp.) and silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) – despite the explosive history of the site. It is possible that previous volcanic eruptions, which have been occurring intermittently since at least 1939, could have provided the nutrients that support the thriving marine ecosystem around the volcano.
In the past, the researchers wrote, the presence of sharks in the crater raised “new questions about the ecology of active underwater volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals reside.”
Read more: The eruption of a ‘shark’ volcano under the sea has been captured in stunning satellite images
A pair of strange blue blobs
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An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured an image of Earth that features two strange blue points of light shining in our planet’s atmosphere. Interestingly, the two points are completely unrelated to each other and just happened at the same time.
The first point of light, which can be seen at the bottom of the image, is a huge lightning strike that occurred next to a large circular gap at the top of the clouds. This caused lightning to illuminate the walls surrounding the cloudy caldera-like structure, creating a spectacular ring of light.
The second blue dot, visible at the top right of the image, is caused by twisted light from the Moon. The natural orientation of the Earth’s satellite relative to the International Space Station means that light reflected from the Sun passes through the planet’s atmosphere, turning it into a bright blue blob with a mysterious halo.
Read more: Strange blue blobs hovering in Earth’s atmosphere in a stunning astronaut photo. But what are they?
Silver solar swirls
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Another astronaut on the International Space Station captured a stunning image of a “sun lens” that transformed the surface of the sea into a swirling silver mirror surrounding a pair of Greek islands.
The largest landmass in the center of the image is Milos, a Greek volcanic island of 58 square miles (151 square kilometers) in area, and its uninhabited minor partner to the west is Antimelos, which is about 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in size.
Sun trails are caused by sunlight reflecting off the still sea directly into the astronaut’s camera. As a result, glassy ocean waters appear silver while turbulent waters appear darker. These phenomena could highlight interesting oceanographic effects on and below the water’s surface, such as swirling ocean currents, known as eddies, and wakes from cargo ships – both of which are visible in this image.
Read more: The stunning ‘sunglint’ transforms the surface of the sea into a circular silver mirror
Golden river of toxic waste
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A Landsat 9 image revealed a golden river of dry, toxic mud shimmering over the landscape near the diamond mine in Jagersfontein, South Africa after a dam collapsed.
The dam was holding back tailings—a muddy mixture of dust, crushed rock, water, and other mining by-products. Overflow mud often contains trace amounts of minerals such as copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc, as well as other compounds including petroleum, sulfuric acid, and even cyanide.
The image shows how the toxic waste flowed down the hillside in a huge wave that eventually swelled into a nearby dam before spilling into the nearby Processpruit River. In total, the dried residue covered about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of farmland. The dam collapse killed three people and injured about 40 others.
Read more: The golden river of toxic waste from the South African mining disaster seen from space
The largest iceberg in the world is moving
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NASA’s Terra satellite captured an image of the world’s largest iceberg, A-76A, floating in the mouth of the Drake Passage – a turbulent stretch of water in Antarctica.
The massive ice sheet is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) long and 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. She first broke up with Ronne Ice Shelf in 2021.
As icebergs drift into the Drake Passage, they are quickly pulled eastward by strong ocean currents before being whipped north into warmer waters, where they melt completely soon after.
It is unclear where the A-76A will end up or when it will meet its watery grave.
Read more: Satellite images show that the world’s largest iceberg is drifting away from Antarctica to its doom
Mount Dome Acid Lake
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An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a stunning image of a snow-circled hydrothermal lake atop New Zealand’s Mount Ruapehu, which doubled as “Mount Doom” in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings.”
The hydrothermal lake, known as Oty-a-Mo Crater Lake, is located between the three main peaks of Mount Ruapehu, the tallest of which reaches 9,177 feet (2,797 meters) above sea level. A magma chamber deep within the volcano heats the lake, which fluctuates between 59 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 45 degrees Celsius). The water body is highly acidic due to the large amounts of volcanic gases that dissolve in the water.
Geologists use the lake to monitor the volcano’s threat level.
Read more: An acid lake atop the real-life Mount Doom captured in a stunning new photo from space
7 floors of “monster” waves
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This image from Landsat 8 captured a stunning display of the sheer force of seven-story high waves as they crashed towards the shore near Nazaré, a surfing hotspot in Portugal.
The image shows how ferocious swells tore the surrounding seafloor sediments into massive underwater plumes that stretched about 6.2 miles (10 km) from the shore.
Waves in Nazaré often reach heights of over 50 feet (15 m) in the winter months due to the underwater canyon about half a mile from the coast channeling the wave energy. But on this day, high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon, which battered Bermuda and parts of North America, swelled up the waves.
The photo was taken on the same day that an 18-year-old surfer reportedly rode a record-breaking 101.4-foot (30.9-meter) wave in Nazare.
Read more: This stunning satellite image shows the sheer force of the 7-story monstrous waves in Portugal
Ancient lava flow scar
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An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a stunning image of an ancient lava flow stretching across the desert in New Mexico.
The lava flow, known as Carrizozo Malpaís, covers about 130 square miles (337 sq km) and is about 50 miles (80 km) long. From above, the frozen river of volcanic rock looks like a dark scar carved into the surrounding desert.
The eruption that generated Carrizozo Malpais began about 5,000 years ago and lasted between 20 and 30 years. The majority of the lava in the image emerged from a small 88-foot (27 m) vent, dubbed “Little Black Top” by locals.
An ancient lava field may look lifeless from above, but a number of desert plant species can grow in the solidified lava.
Read more: A massive ancient lava flow from space looks like a giant black scar in the New Mexico desert
I spy through a hole in the sky
Landsat 8 caught a glimpse of one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, as it “soared” into the sky through an eerily circular hole in the clouds.
The volcano’s summit caldera – a large bowl-like depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses – is clearly visible in the photo, as well as part of a large mountain range to the north, which is a remnant of Mount Soma – an ancient volcano that once stood in the same place as Mount Vesuvius, before the cone of the newer volcano grew from his position.
The most famous eruption of Vesuvius simultaneously destroyed and preserved the Roman city of Pompeii, as well as the neighboring city of Herculaneum, in 79 AD.
Researchers have called Mount Vesuvius “Europe’s time bomb” because another large volcano is set to erupt soon.
Read more: A stunning satellite image captures Mount Vesuvius peering through a hole in the clouds
Want to see more amazing satellite images? Then check out more Favorite shots from the Landsat satellite.
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