NASA Releases Beautiful Birds-Eye Images of Earth From The ISS

The Johnson Space Center has been getting close-ups of our planet's most beautiful landscapes.
Credit: JSA/NASA

Not even a month into 2024, and NASA has released a number of stunning images taken from the International Space Station, showing birds-eye views of various places around the world – from Australia, to Africa, to South America.

To the joy of camera nerds, NASA releases these images along with the EXIF data – which allows us to see what camera, lens and settings they use in order to capture these kinds of images. Most images appear to be taken with a Nikon D5, with a Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 lens. Meanwhile a few images were captured with a Nikon D4 and a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens.

The images were released by the Johnson Space Center, which is NASA’s facility for human spaceflight training, research, and flight control.

(Jan. 11, 2024) --- Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left center), is also seen from the orbital outpost.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left centre), is also seen from the orbital outpost. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 11, 2024) --- Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left center), is also seen from the orbital outpost.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left centre), is also seen from the orbital outpost. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 11, 2024) --- Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left center), is also seen from the orbital outpost.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — Glaciers in the southern Andes emptying into Lago Argentino are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 270 miles above. Cerro Pietrobelli, a mountain on the southern Chile-Argentina border (left centre), is also seen from the orbital outpost. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 10, 2024) --- A portion of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park ceated to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above.
(Jan. 10, 2024) — A portion of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park created to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 10, 2024) --- A portion of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park ceated to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above.
(Jan. 10, 2024) — A portion of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park created to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 10, 2024) --- A portion of Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park ceated to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above.
(Jan. 10, 2024) — A portion of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, a national park created to protect marine wildlife, on the southern coast of the African nation is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 12, 2024) -- In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old.
(Jan. 12, 2024) — In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 12, 2024) -- In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old.
(Jan. 12, 2024) — In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 12, 2024) -- In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old.
(Jan. 12, 2024) — In the Coipasa Salt Pan lies the Wila Pukarani volcano located in Bolivia. As the International Space Station orbited 262 miles above, the stark white salt flats contrast against the dark surrounding rock. Summiting nearly 16,000 feet high (~4,900 meters), the volcano is estimated to be 3.7 million years old. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 3, 2024) --- Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara.
(Jan. 3, 2024) — Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 3, 2024) --- Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara.
(Jan. 3, 2024) — Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 3, 2024) --- Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara.
(Jan. 3, 2024) — Sand dunes, sandstone plateaus, and rocky platforms that comprise the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park in the southeastern portion of Algeria are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 mile above the Sahara. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 11, 2024) --- The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pctured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 11, 2024) --- The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pctured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA
(Jan. 11, 2024) --- The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pctured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above.
(Jan. 11, 2024) — The southern coast of Peru on the Pacific Ocean is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above. Credit: JSC/NASA

If you want to see the full EXIF data, or see other images released by the ISS, you can go to NASA’s Image and Video Library.

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Sam King

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Lens Front Founder - Sam is a freelance web developer and amateur photographer. Currently splitting his time between the UK and France, for the last 2 years Sam has been travelling full time, visiting countries such as Bosnia, Serbia and Australia, and even spent a month in Wadi Rum, Jordan, where he lived and worked with Bedouin tribesmen in the desert.

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