This image shows the Dragon Endeavour approaching the International Space Station on May 31, 2020, over part of southwestern Turkey-including the coastal city of Demre (gray area below the spacecraft)-in the background. Dragon Endeavour docked successfully with the ISS about nineteen hours after reaching orbit. It arrived at the station's Harmony port while both were about 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the border of China and Mongolia.
For the first time in nine years, NASA astronauts were launched from American soil on an American rocket, and for the first time in history, those astronauts flew on a commercially built and operated spacecraft.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off at 3:22 p.m. EDT on May 30, 2020, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft was launched atop a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Behnken and Hurley named their spacecraft Endeavour as a tribute to the first space shuttle that both astronauts had flown aboard. Endeavour also flew the penultimate mission of the Space Shuttle Program, launching in May 2011 from the same pad.
Image: NASA
Here are the top 10 most beautiful Earth photos taken by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the orbiting laboratory, in 2020. Which one is your favorite? Or if your favorite image was not listed here, please leave a comment below. To see all images taken from the International Space Station and published by NASA, visit Space Station Images webpage.
Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the ISS in 2020
1. An Otherworldly-Looking Bombetoka Bay, Madagascar, April 23
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: On the northwestern coast of Madagascar, the salty waters of the Mozambique Channel penetrate inland to join with the freshwater outflow of the Betsiboka River, forming Bombetoka Bay. Numerous islands and sandbars have formed in the estuary from the large amount of sediment carried in by the Betsiboka River and have been shaped by the flow of the river and the push and pull of tides. Image Credit: U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team, NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS Link: NASA
2. Space Station Crew Snaps an Image of the Susquehanna River, April 24
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: The Susquehanna River cuts through the folds of the Valley-and-Ridge province of the Appalachian Mountains in this photograph taken by the crew of the International Space Station. The Valley-and-Ridge province is a section of the larger Appalachian Mountain Belt between the Appalachian Plateau and the Blue Ridge physiographic provinces. The northeast-southwest trending ridges are composed of Early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. The valleys between them were made of softer rocks (limestone and shales) that were more susceptible to erosion; they are now occupied by farms. The Susquehanna River cuts through several ridges as it flows south. The Susquehanna River flows 444 mi (714 kilometers) from upstate New York to Maryland, draining into the Chesapeake Bay. Image Credit: NASA/Expedition 61; Caption by Laura Phoebus, Jacobs, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC. Link: NASA
3. Crew Dragon Approaches the International Space Station over southwestern Turkey, May 31
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: This image shows the Dragon Endeavour approaching the International Space Station on May 31, 2020, over part of southwestern Turkey-including the coastal city of Demre (gray area below the spacecraft)-in the background. Image: NASA
Dragon Endeavour docked successfully with the ISS about nineteen hours after reaching orbit. It arrived at the station’s Harmony port while both were about 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the border of China and Mongolia. For the first time in nine years, NASA astronauts were launched from American soil on an American rocket, and for the first time in history, those astronauts flew on a commercially built and operated spacecraft.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley lifted off at 3:22 p.m. EDT on May 30, 2020, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft was launched atop a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Behnken and Hurley named their spacecraft Endeavour as a tribute to the first space shuttle that both astronauts had flown aboard. Endeavour also flew the penultimate mission of the Space Shuttle Program, launching in May 2011 from the same pad.
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: A portion of the Volga River is pictured as the International Space Station orbited above Russia near the Caspian Sea. Image credit: Roscosmos. Link: NASA
5. A glacier in Chile, September 1
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: A glacier looks like a human head from the profile, pictured from the International Space Station, in the Laguna San Rafael National Park ends at the Rio Nevado in Aysén, Chile. Image: NASA
6. Fractals of the Lake Nasser in Egypt, September 2
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: The International Space Station was orbiting above Egypt when an Expedition 63 crewmember photographed a portion of Lake Nasser, one of the largest human-made lakes in the world. The lake is some 479 km (298 mi) long and 16 km (9.9 mi) across at its widest point, which is near the Tropic of Cancer. It covers a total surface area of 5,250 km2 (2,030 sq mi) and has a storage capacity of some 132 km3 (32 cu mi) of water. Image: NASA
7. A snow-capped portion of the Andes Mountain Range, September 4
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: A snow-capped portion of the Andes Mountain Range is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above the Laguna San Rafael National Park in southern Chile. Up is west, so the Pacific Ocean is on top of the photo. Image: NASA
8. The southern coast of Bangladesh, October 16
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: The International Space Station was orbiting above the southern coast of Bangladesh, near the vast mangrove forest and wildlife habitat of India’s Sundarban National Park, when this photograph was taken. Image: NASA
9. Glaciers are pictured in the Pamir Mountains, November 4
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: Glaciers are pictured in the Pamir Mountains as the International Space Station orbited above Tajikistan. Image Credit: Roscosmos. Link: NASA The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, at the junction of the Himalayas with the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush. They are among the world’s highest mountains.
10. Christchurch, New Zealand near Lake Ellesmere and Pigeon Bay, December 2
Most beautiful Earth photos taken from the ISS in 2020: Christchurch, New Zealand (far right), Lake Ellesmere, and Pigeon Bay are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above the Tasman Sea just south of the island nation. Image: NASA
I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!
I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!
2 replies on “10 Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2020”
Very nice and educational and should be taught to our young children.
Please how can I purchase a copy of the Bombetoka Bay (top pic above) to hang on my lounge room wall. (As part of my influence to encourage grandchildren to STEM professions.
Gordon Layton, BSc, MCogSc, MIEEE(Life).
2 replies on “10 Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2020”
Very nice and educational and should be taught to our young children.
Please how can I purchase a copy of the Bombetoka Bay (top pic above) to hang on my lounge room wall. (As part of my influence to encourage grandchildren to STEM professions.
Gordon Layton, BSc, MCogSc, MIEEE(Life).