Here are the top 10 most beautiful Earth photos taken from the International Space Station in 2021. 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 ISS and published by NASA, visit Space Station Images webpage.
Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2021
1. The active volcano of Popocatépetl, January 25
Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano (a conical volcano built up by many layers -strata- of hardened lava and tephra) located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It has an elevation of 5,426 meters (17,802 feet).
2. Earth’s horizon and a cloudy Pacific Ocean, February 4
This view of the Earth’s curved horizon looks across the cloudy Pacific Ocean as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles (436 km) above off the coast of southern Chile in South America.
3. Doha, Qatar, March 16
Doha, Qatar, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles (420 km) above the United Arab Emirates. Credit: Roscosmos.
4. Christchurch, New Zealand, March 18
Christchurch, New Zealand, is pictured on the coast of Pegasus Bay as the International Space Station orbited 271 miles (436 km) above the South Pacific.
5. Istanbul, Turkey, split by the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Strait, April 22
Istanbul, Turkey connects Europe and Asia and is split by the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Strait which links the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. The International Space Station was orbiting 264 miles (425 km) above Turkey just southwest of its capital city, Ankara, at the time this photograph was taken.
6. Mount Fuji, north of Suruga Bay and west of Tokyo, April 23
Mount Fuji, north of Suruga Bay and west of Tokyo, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles (425 km) above the Sea of Japan.
Mount Fuji, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, standing at 3,776.24 meters (12,389.2 feet). It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra, 3,800 meters / 12,500 feet), and the seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano that last erupted from 1707 to 1708.
The mountain is a cultural icon of Japan and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013.
7. Englewood County, Florida, April 28
This portion of Englewood County, Florida, is on the Sunshine State’s southern coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The International Space Station was orbiting 262 miles (422 km) above on a southeastern trek at the time this photograph was taken.
8. The southern end of San Francisco Bay, June 16
The southern end of San Francisco Bay hosts Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is surrounded by the California cities of Newark and Baylands. This photograph was taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles (423 km) above the Pacific Ocean near the coast.
9. Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, June 23
Lake of the Ozarks (a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River) in Missouri is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles (420 km) above the Midwestern United States.
10. Heaven Lake on the active volcano Paektu Mountain, December 14
Heaven Lake rests in the crater of the active volcano Paektu Mountain that lies on the China-North Korea border (elevation: 2,744 meters / 9,003 feet). The International Space Station was orbiting 263 miles above Asia at the time this photograph was taken.
Paektu Mountain plays an important mythological and cultural role in the societies and civil religions of both contemporary Korean states.
Sources
- Popocatépetl on Wikipedia
- Mount Fuji on Wikipedia
- Paektu Mountain on Wikipedia
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