Earth

Pretty

Liquid water, a thick atmosphere, and a supply of interior heat gives Earth the most varied surface features of all the planets. The oceans are obvious on any picture, and have the most vivid coloring of any feature in the solar system. The white clouds cover a large portion of the surface, and never look the same from one hour to the next. The movement of tectonic plates causes volcanoes and earthquakes in the short term, and huge changes in climate over millions of years.

Looking Down

A network of hundreds of satellites orbits Earth and takes pictures to monitor everything from weather patterns to continental drift, as well as human activity all over the globe. Some of those satellites are inhabited, and the astronauts also take photos of their home world. This page collects just a tiny sample of the millions of beautiful images of Earth from space that are available.