Tag Archives: NASA

Amusing Monday: Earth images on Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and a good time to consider the Earth as a whole. Thanks to an impressive set of videos released by NASA in celebration of Earth Month, we can take a wide-angle view of the entire planet.

The first video serves to demonstrate the many images generated by NASA’s fleet of science satellites and aircraft. The space agency chose to accompany the video with music rather than narration, which ties together the images better than a detailed description. To delve more deeply into the science behind the images, visit NASA’s “Missions” page.

The second video shows the beauty of the Earth as seen from the International Space Station. The third is a blend of Earth images, computer animations and glimpses of the science behind it all. Although these videos are not amusing in a humorous way, I hope you’ll find them worth a look on Earth Day.

If you would like more NASA videos, still images and explanations, check out NASA’s “Earth Month 2013.”

Amusing Monday: Picture postcards from far above

Betsy Mason, editor of Wired Science, continues to amaze us with stunning photos taken from outer space. Of course, she doesn’t take the pictures, but Betsy describes each photo in superb detail, often using interpretations from folks at NASA’s Earth Observatory and various research centers. I could spend hours looking at these photos and reading about what I see.

One of my favorite groupings of photos is the series called “Stunning Views of Glaciers Seen from Space,” which includes a credit to Hadley Leggett. Featured below is Crater Lake, from the latest series called “Most Beautiful National Parks Seen From Space.”

Below this photo, you’ll find links to other blog entries showing a variety of pictures from space.

Crater Lake / NASA photo

Out of the Blue: Islands Seen From Space

Channeling Earth: Rivers Seen From Space

Cryosphere: Earth’s Icy Extremes Seen From Space

Magnificent Marine Algae Blooms Seen From Space

Earth as Art: Stunning New Images From Space