by Earth-orbiting satellites and astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have given us a whole new perspective on our planet over the past decades, and 2022 will be no different. From weird blue spots and a swirling silvery sea to undersea volcanoes and floating icebergs, here are some of our favorite satellite and space station images of Earth released in 2022.
Trio of multicolored lakes
(opens in new tab)
The Landsat 8 satellite, jointly owned by NASA and the US Geological Survey, captured a stunning true-color image of the triple multicolored lake in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley: Lake Shala (left), Lake Abijatta (centre) and Lake Langano (right).
The deep blue hue of Shala Lake is the result of its deep waters with a maximum depth of 266 meters. With a maximum depth of just 46 feet (14 m), Lake Abijatta is green thanks to the bloom of photosynthetic algae. Lake Langano, meanwhile, gets its yellow color from rivers that carry nearby mountain sediments.
The contrasting appearance of the lakes is even more surprising, given that all three are part of a single ancient body of water formerly known as Lake Galla.
Read more: Trio of yellow, blue and green lakes in Ethiopia stuns in stunning satellite image
Submarine “shark” explosion
(opens in new tab)
The Landsat 9 satellite captured a stunning image of an underwater eruption from Kavachi volcano in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, whose summit is about 20m below sea level.
During an expedition to Kavachi in 2015, researchers discovered that the volcano’s crater is home to two species of sharks: hammerhead (Sphyrna sp.) and silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) – despite the explosive history of the locale. Previous volcanic eruptions, which have occurred occasionally since at least 1939, are likely to provide nutrients that support a thriving marine ecosystem around the volcano.
In the past, researchers wrote that the presence of sharks in the crater raises “new questions about the ecology of active submarine volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals exist.”
Read more: Submarine ‘shark’ explosion captured in stunning satellite images
A pair of strange blue spots
(opens in new tab)
An astronaut aboard the ISS has captured an image of Earth featuring two strange spots of blue light shimmering in our planet’s atmosphere. Surprisingly, the two drops were completely unrelated to each other and occurred simultaneously.
The first drop of light visible at the bottom of the image is a massive lightning strike near a large, circular gap at the top of the clouds. This caused lightning to illuminate the surrounding walls of the cloudy caldera-like structure, creating a striking ring of light.
The second blue speck visible in the upper right corner of the image is the result of warped light from the moon. The orientation of Earth’s natural satellite relative to the ISS meant that light reflected back from the sun passed through the planet’s atmosphere, transforming it into a blurry halo and a bright blue blob.
Read more: Stunning astronaut photo shows strange blue spots in Earth’s atmosphere. But what are they?
swirling silver sunlight
(opens in new tab)
Another ISS astronaut captured a stunning photo of a “sunshine” that transforms the sea surface into a swirling, silver mirror surrounding a pair of Greek islands.
The larger landmass in the center of the photo is Milos, a 58-square-mile (151-square-kilometer) Greek volcanic island, and its small, uninhabited partner to the west is Antimilos, about 3 square miles (8 square kilometers) in Greece. size.
Solar flares are caused by sunlight reflecting off the still sea directly into the astronaut’s camera. As a result, glassy ocean waters appear silvery, while more turbulent waters appear darker. These phenomena can highlight interesting oceanographic effects above and below the water’s surface, such as circular ocean currents known as eddies and tracks from shipping vessels, both of which can be seen in this image.
Read more: Stunning ‘lint’ turns the sea’s surface into a spinning silver mirror
golden river of toxic waste
(opens in new tab)
A Landsat 9 image revealed a golden river of dried toxic mud that shimmered in the land near a diamond mine in Jagersfontein, South Africa, after a dam collapsed.
The dam was holding back debris, a muddy mixture of dust, crushed rock, water, and other mining by-products. Excess slurry often contains traces of metals such as copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc, as well as other compounds such as petroleum, sulfuric acid, and even cyanide.
The picture shows how the toxic waste rushes down the hillside in a huge wave and flows into a nearby dam before finally spilling into the adjacent Prosesspruit river. In total, the dried waste covered about 10 square miles (26 km2) of farmland. The collapse of the dam killed three people and injured about 40.
Read more: Gold river of toxic waste from South African mining disaster visible from space
The world’s largest iceberg in action
(opens in new tab)
NASA’s Terra satellite captured a photo of the world’s largest iceberg, A-76A, floating at the mouth of Drake Pass, a swath of turbulent water in Antarctica.
The enormous ice sheet is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide. It first broke from the Ronne Ice Shelf in 2021.
As icebergs drift towards Drake Pass, they are quickly swept east by strong ocean currents before drifting north into warmer waters, where they soon melt completely.
It’s unclear where the A-76A will eventually stand or when it will meet its watery grave.
Read more: Satellite image shows world’s largest iceberg drifting from Antarctica to its doom
Mount Doom’s acid lake
(opens in new tab)
An astronaut on the ISS captured a stunning image of a snow-covered hydrothermal lake atop Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand;
Known as Crater Lake or Te Wai ā-moe, the hydrothermal lake is among the three main peaks of Mount Ruapehu, the highest of which reaches 9,177 feet (2,797 m) 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 body of water is highly acidic due to the large amount of volcanic gas dissolved in the water.
Geologists use the lake to monitor the volcano’s threat level.
Read more: Acid lake atop real-life ‘Mount Doom’ captured in stunning new image from space
7-deck “monster” waves
(opens in new tab)
This Landsat 8 image captured a stunning view of the immense power of waves seven stories high crashing against the shore near Nazaré, a wavesurfing spot in Portugal.
The image shows how violent upheavals shatter the sediment on the surrounding seafloor into massive underwater clouds that stretch about 6.2 miles (10 km) from the shore.
Waves at Nazaré frequently reach heights of more than 50 feet (15 m) during the winter months due to an underwater canyon about half a mile off shore that channels wave energy. That day, however, high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon that hit Bermuda and parts of North America strengthened the waves.
The image was reportedly taken the day an 18-year-old surfer boarded a record-breaking 30.9m high (101.4ft) wave in Nazaré.
Read more: Stunning satellite image shows immense power of monstrous 7-story waves in Portugal
ancient lava flow trail
(opens in new tab)
An astronaut on the ISS took a stunning photo of an ancient lava flow that runs through the desert in New Mexico.
Known as the Carrizozo Malpaís, the lava flow covers about 130 square miles (337 square kilometers) and is about 50 miles (80 km) long. From above, the frozen volcanic rock river looks like a dark scar carved into the surrounding desert.
The eruption that gave birth to Carrizozo Malpaís began about 5,000 years ago and lasted 20 to 30 years. Most of the lava in the image came out of a small 27 m high vent, which locals refer to as the “little black hill”.
The ancient lava field may look lifeless from above, but a number of desert plant species can grow in frozen lava.
Read more: The huge ancient lava flow seen from space looks like a giant black scar in the New Mexico desert.
I’m spying through a hole in the sky
Landsat 8 captured an image of Mount Vesuvius, one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, while “drawing attention” to the sky through an eerie, circular hole in the clouds.
The caldera at the volcano’s summit (a large bowl-like depression formed when a volcano erupts and collapses) and part of the large, mountainous ridge that is the remnant of Mount Somma to the north are clearly visible in the image. An ancient volcano that once stood in the same spot as Mount Vesuvius before the new volcano’s cone grew from its center.
Vesuvius’ most famous eruption simultaneously destroyed and protected the Roman city of Pompeii and the neighboring town of Herculaneum in 79 AD.
Researchers have described Mount Vesuvius as “Europe’s time bomb” because another major eruption will occur soon.
Read more: Stunning satellite photo captures Mount Vesuvius peeking through a hole in the clouds
Want to see even more amazing satellite images? Then take a look some more Favorite shots from Landsat satellites.
