Astronauts have been capturing photographs of the ever-changing Earth for more than 40 years, and NASA has been cataloging and studying them since the beginning. This page is an archive of images that have been featured on the JSC Web. For more images, visit Astronaut Photography of Earth.

Plankton Blooms, Capricorn Channel - Astronauts frequently photograph large plankton blooms during their missions. They become acute observers of subtle changes in sea surface dynamics. This image captures a plankton bloom off the Queensland coast of Australia.

Lake Natron, Tanzania - The alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is often colored red or pink by the salt-loving microorganisms that live there. The unique biodiversity of Lake Natron Basin led Tanzania to name it a Wetlands of International Importance.

Emi Koussi Volcano, Chad - This high volcano has been used as a close analog to the famous Martian volcano Elysium Mons. Nested within the main caldera is a smaller crater. Lava strata are visible in the walls of the smaller crater, which is surrounded by a dome of lava.

Menindee Lakes, Australia - Farms along Australia's Darling River have received only 10 inches of rain in the past two years. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station documented conditions, including these images of Lake Tandou in the Menindee Lake system.

Kazakhstan Agriculture and Mining - Agricultural activities and mining occur side by side in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The large, mostly square fields are probably spring wheat. The colorful, irregular patterns on the left side of the image appear to be surface-mining operations.

Constanta, Romania - Constanta, with a population of more than 348,000, is located on the western coast of the Black Sea. It is a thriving port of entry for Romania, offering both tourist attractions and an expanding, modern port facility that is among the largest on the Black Sea.

Kolka Glacier, Russia - Russian researchers are studying images taken by the crew of the International Space Station to better understand the glacier collapse and landslide that occurred on Mount Kazbek in September -- information that may help us better understand our home planet.

Mount Etna - On Oct. 30, 2002, the International Space Station's Expedition Five crew observed Mount Etna's eruption and photographed the details of the eruption plume and smoke from fires triggered by the lava as it flowed down the 3,350-meter (11,000-foot) mountain.

Sangeang Api - In 1985, the small Indonesian island of Sangeang Api off the coast of Sumbawa began to erupt. The eruption lasted until 1988. The lava and pyroclastic flows are still easily traced on this image taken by space shuttle astronauts aboard STS-112 in October 2002.