Earth in Full View

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in 1972. The south polar ice cap of Antarctica can be clearly seen in the image. This region constitutes 70% of the world's freshwater.

Earth at Night

This image of the earth at night was generated from a collection of 400 images. This amazing photo features the city lights highly concentrated in the urban areas.

View of Earth’s horizon taken by Expedition 7

This breathtaking photo of the earth's horizon was taken from the International Space Station by an Expedition 7 astronaut in July 21, 2003. Expedition 7 used the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft which is the most recent revision of the Soyuz spacecraft.

Mount Everest from the International Space Station

Here's an image of Mt. Everest taken from the International Space Station on March 20, 2002 by Astronaut Dan Bursch of Expedition 4. Mt. Everest is also known as Qomolangma Peak in Tibetan, Mount Sagarm?th? in Nepali, Chajamlungma in Limbu, and Zhumulangma Peak in Chinese.

Backdropped by a Colorful Earth

This picture shows two astronauts, Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. (left) and Christer Fuglesang while conducting an extravehicular activity outside the International Space Station as part of the STS-116 mission. On the background is the Cook Strait in New Zealand and the Pacific Ocean.

We have written many articles about the earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about some interesting facts about the earth, and here's an article about how far is space from the earth.

If you'd like more info about the earth, check out NASA's Solar System Exploration Homepage, and here's a link to NASA's Solar System Simulator.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, picture, pictures, world

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A Crescent Earth at Midnight

Here's an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.

Oahu, Hawaii, U.S.A. September 1988

This photo of Oahu Island in Hawaii was taken in September 1988 from the International Space Station. Oahu ranks third among the islands of Hawaii and the most important being the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command and the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex.

Looking Down on Earth

This photo of the earth, particularly the Indian Ocean was captured in 1999 during the STS-96 mission of space shuttle Discovery. Discovery is one of the three operational orbiters of NASA's space shuttle fleet. Atlantis and Endeavor are the other two.

Earth - South America (first frame of Earth Spin Movie)

This amazing photo of the earth was captured by the space craft Galileo during its flight to Jupiter in December 11, 1990. Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Jupiter.

Earthrise - Apollo 8

This spectacular image of the earth as seen from the moon was taken by the astronauts onboard the Apollo 8 space craft in December 1968. Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight mission to successfully escape from the earth's gravitational field.

We have written many articles about planet earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about how fast the earth rotates, and here's an article about the most earth-like planet.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, picture, pictures, planet earth

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The micro wind turbine is an cost effective and environmentally friendly way to provide energy for your home. One of the biggest concerns in the 21st century is discovering economically viable sources of clean energy. Clean energy cuts down the dependence on foreign oil and also provides a reliable source of power that does not cause harmful pollution. Wind Turbines have long been considered to be one of the best sources of clean energy. However most of us only know about the large scale wind farms owned by utility companies. These have the downside of not being wide spread and the current power grids in the United States don't allow for routing of power over great distances. So short of a full scale lobbying effort to get a wind farm built in your area, the best solution is a micro wind turbine.

These turbines are much smaller and can be used for residential purposes. The best part is that the right kind of wind turbine can power your home independently or reduce your utility bill by as much as 90 percent. However, there are some important things you need to know. about Micro wind turbines.

First, micro wind turbines need height to work. This means that in order for your turbine to work properly it will need to have a height of at least 80 feet. This can be a barrier for someone who lives on a small lot like in a suburb or subdivision. The best candidates would be homeowners who have at least an acre of land and whose local laws allow for building a wind turbine on private property.

Second, know how much power the wind turbine produces. When you buy a wind turbine you should know how much energy in Kilowatt Hours it produces. Remember, this is not the same as Kilowatts. The average home requires 9,400 kilowatt-hours. So a turbine with a rating of 5 to 10 kilowatts should be purchased if you want to get a turbine that makes a meaningful contribution to meeting your energy needs.

Finally, look at pricing and see if it is something you can afford. At best, the cheapest micro wind turbine can cost $600 but if you want to get one that produces a decent amount of power you will need one that cost around $6,000. Fortunately this is still cheaper than installing a solar module and as an alternative energy source you should qualify for government subsidies and other programs that can cut the costs of purchase.

Micro wind turbines can be a great way to save money on your electric, do something for the environment, and even add value to your home. Make sure to do research in order to find the turbine that will best fit your energy needs.

If you enjoyed this article there are several others on Universe Today that you will like. There is a great article on how wind power works. There is also an interesting article on wind power from the ocean.

There are also some great resources for more information. One is the American Wind Energy Association. The web site has a lot info on buying wind turbines and even has links to dealers. You can also check out the U.S. Department of Energy website.

You can also listen to Astronomy Cast. Episode 151 talks about Atmospheres.

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Post tags: Alternative energy, Earth, wind power

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The KT extinction is basically the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. As anyone from 5 to 100 knows the dinosaurs reign of supremacy on earth was ended by among other possible causes by the impact of a massive meteor. The Kt extinction is called so since it occurred during the Cretaceous Tertiary period around 66.5 million years ago. We know about if from various pieces of geologic evidence. For example, there is a unique layer of sediment called the Kt layer. Also there is the massive crater on the Yucatan peninsula were the fatal impact occurred.

Scientist Hypothesize that an event happened that caused a massive amount of particle to be ejected into the Earth's upper atmosphere creating the equivalent of a nuclear winter. This blocked out sunlight and caused many organisms that relied on photosynthesis like plants and plankton to die out in massive numbers. The rest was basically a collapse of the food chain. Herbivorous species on land and see died out and the predators that relied on them followed shortly after. Ironically these massive deaths helped to ensure the survival of many organisms like Mammals who would begin to become dominant in the coming geologic era. Scientists believed that the organisms that survived were the ones that were either omnivores or scavengers. This allowed them to survive long enough to propagate and wait for the Earth to return to normalcy.

While many people have general assumptions about the Kt extinction there are some interesting facts that may challenge them. First scientist are not exactly sure that one meteor caused the extinction event. At best there is evidence that several meteor impacts occurred during the time when the Kt extinction occurred. There is also the theory that a more active period of volcanism than normal was enough to cause the reduction in sunlight that caused the extinction event. We have more recent evidence of this being possible from the Krakatoa eruption and the year without summer that it caused.

The last interesting bit of new is that Mammals did not automatically take over. As a matter of fact it is believed that the Kt event wiped out several orders of Mammals like Marsupials in North America and other northern regions.

Regardless of the cause we know that the Kt extinction event was a major turning point for life on planet Earth.

If you have enjoyed this article there are several others on Universe Today that you will enjoy. There is a great article about Kt asteroid theories. There is also an interesting articles about Mass extinctions.

You can also find interesting resources online. There is a great article about the extinction event on the University of Berkley website. You can also check out the Kt extinction page on the carleton.edu web site.

You can also listen Astronomy Cast. Episode 29 talks about asteroids that may threaten Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, extinction events, Prehistory

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Challenger Deep is one of the deepest surveyed underwater location in the world. It is a small slotted valley located at the very end of the Mariana Trench a deep sea trench located off the western coast of the continent of Asia and right off the Mariana Islands. It is over 11,000m deep. To get a good idea of how deep that is you would be able to put Mount Everest at that spot and there would still be a 1000m of water left above it. For people who don't think in metric measurements that means the trench is around 7 miles deep and even if you put Everest in there there and stood on the tip there would still be a mile of ocean above you. That is about a third the distance to the resting place of the Titanic which is 3 miles below sea level.

The Challenger Deep gets its name from the HMS Challenger expedition which was the first mission of its kind to do a sounding of Challenger deep. The HMS Challenger was an exploration ship that was used as part of one of the earliest Oceanography expeditions. The goal of the journey was to do surveys of various ocean features. The very first sounding was done March 23, 1875. Much later in 1960 the first manned exploration of Challenger Deep occured. This where we get its official depth. However, the intrepid explorers were only able to stay for 15 minutes. This was due to a crack in the window of their submersible as well as reduced visibility caused by the dust that was stirred up by their landing.

So what makes such a deep location? The answer is plate tectonics. The earth's crust is not one whole piece. It is broken up by pressure and heat from the mantle below into what seismologists call tectonic plates. The plates float on the vast sea of molten magma directed by the convection currents in it and the process called sea floor spreading. Trenches like the Mariana Trench where the Challenger deep is located occur in regions of subduction. This is where one tectonic plate sinks beneath the other. In the case of the Challenger Deep and the Mariana Trench the subduction zone where they are located is where the Pacific Plate sinks beneath the small Mariana Plate.

If you enjoyed this article there are several other interesting pieces that you can read on Universe Today. There is a great article on subduction zones. There is also a interesting article on continental plates.

You can also find some great resources online. You can learn about the discovery of Challenger Deep from the Dive and Discover website. Another good resource is the University of Delaware oceanography site. It has a great article on what constitutes the Deep Sea and some interesting facts about Challenger Deep.

You should also check out Astronomy Cast. Episode 142 Plate Tectonics.

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Post tags: Earth, oceanography, seismology

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Let's differentiate the two.

First of all, if we were to be strict about semantics, then there is no such thing as 'a solar system'. Rather, there can only be 'the Solar System'. The Solar System includes the system of astronomical bodies that are bound to it by its gravity.

That would include all eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. We have omitted Pluto as it is no longer considered a planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Pluto now belongs to the category of astronomical bodies known as dwarf planets. It is joined by Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris.

The Solar System also includes members of the asteroid belt, comets from the Oort cloud (although the Oort cloud itself is not usually considered part of the Solar System), the Kuiper Belt, and the scattered disc.

That said, it is now time to define what a star system is. Star systems are sometimes called solar systems. This is a mistake because 'Solar System' is a proper noun. Specifically, it is the name of our Sun's star system.

In the past, it was believed that only our Sun had its own system of planets. There was no confusion then. Lately, however, other star systems (i.e., stars that have planets orbiting around them) have been discovered. Since the Sun is a star, these terms (Solar System and Star System) are sometimes confused with one another.

One star system that is an object of interest of scientists is the red dwarf star known as Gliese 581. Gliese 581 is known to have at least four planets orbiting it: Gliese 581 b, c, d, and e. Some of them (c and d) are even known to be found in the star's Goldilocks Zone.

The Goldilocks Zone (or habitable zone) is the region around a star that has the right conditions for it to be habitable. For instance, Earth is found in the Sun's habitable or Goldilocks zone.

Hopefully, this article has given light to the confusion so that the next time someone asks you "What is a solar system?", you'll know how to answer the question.

Universe Today has an article that talks about Gliese 581 and its planets within the habitable zone.
For those who are into Twitter, you might want to check out the article entitled: Send a Tweet to Our Alien Friends on Gliese 581 D.

Of course, there's more information from NASA. Check out
Habitable World Around Gliese 581? How about an astronomy picture of the day on it instead?

Alternatively, you can also listen to an interesting episode about craters in Astronomy Cast.

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Post tags: Earth, habitable zone, Solar System, star system, sun, What is a solar system

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The Pacific Ring of fire is a region of high volcanic and seismic activity that surrounds the majority of the Pacific Ocean Basin. This region is essentially a horsehoe of geologic activity that includes volcanoes, earthquakes, deep see trenches, and major fault zones. The Ring of Fire is over 40,000 km long and touches 4 of the world's continents as well as major island chains.

The Pacific Ring of Fire is inherently made up of the plate boundaries that border the Pacific Ocean basin. The eastern side of the Ring of Fire is the result of the Nazca and Coco Plates subducting beneath the South American plate. Subduction is when one plate is forced beneath another. This normally happens when one plate is heavier and thicker than the other. Up near North America part of the Pacific Plate and the Juan de Fuca plate are being subducted under the North American plate. The northern part of the Ring of Fire is the subduction zone of the Pacific plate and the Aleutian Islands. The other areas are the region near Japan and through Oceana. On average the subduction zones see plate movement of up to 10 centimeters per year.

The Ring of Fire is the home of many of the most famous and well known fault zones and and volcanoes on the planet. Some of them are probably familiar to you. For example the most recent earthquake that rocked Chile occurred because of the fault zone off the coast of Chile which is a part of the Ring of Fire. The other well known zone is the Cascade volcano chain in North America. The most well known volcano is Mt. St. Helens. On the other side of the Pacific ocean there are even more famous famous volcanoes like Mount Fuji and Krakatoa.

The Ring of Fire is a crucial region for many reasons. It serves as one of the main boundary regions for the tectonic plates of over over half of the globe. It also affects the life of millions if not billions of people who live in these regions. For many of the people who live in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the reality of a volcanic eruption or earthquake is commonplace and a challenge they have come to deal with over time. At the same time the volcanic activity has also provided many valuable resources such as rich farmland.

If you have enjoyed this article there are several others on Universe Today that you will find interesting. There is a great article about Chile's volcanoes. There is also a great article about plate tectonics.

You can also find some good resources online. There is a companion site for the PBS program Savage Earth that talks about the Ring of Fire. You can also check out the USGS site to see a detailed map of the Pacific Ring of Fire and more detailed information about plate tectonics.

You can also listen to Astronomy Cast. Episode 141 talks about volcanoes.

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Post tags: Earth, geology, plate tectonics

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Wind Streaks of Northern Chad, Chad October 1988

This image of northern Chad was taken in October 1988 from the International Space Station during the STS-26 mission of Discovery. STS-26 is the first mission after the disaster that happened to the Space Shuttle Challenger.

View From a Window

This image of the earth's horizon, Soyuz 13 spacecraft and the Progress 22 resupply vehicle was taken from the International Space Station during the STS-116 mission. The STS-116 mission was succesfully flown by the space shuttle Discovery.

The Blue Marble from Apollo 17

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in December 7, 1972. The south polar ice cap of Antarctica can be clearly seen in the image. This region constitutes 70% of the world's freshwater. This photo of the earth was the first to feature the south polar ice cap.

SuitSat-1 Floats Free

This is an image of the SuitSat-1 roaming freely on space taken from the International Space Station. This is the latest satellite of earth launched on Feb. 3, 2006.

A Crescent Earth at Midnight

Here's an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about a comet hitting earth, and here's an article about the closest star to earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, pic, pics, planet earth

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The Great Wall of China and Inner Mongolia

This is an amazing photo of the Great Wall of China taken from the International Space Station. This image was captured by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao. The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object which can be seen from space.

The Brightness of the Sun

This spectacular photo of the earth was taken in November 22, 2009 from the International Space Station during the STS-129 mission of the Atlantis space shuttle.

The Americas and Hurricane Andrew

This image of the earth was taken in August 25, 1992 during the mighty devastation of Hurrican Andrew in the United States. It was captured by the NOAA GOES-7 satellite. G-O-E-S stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.

Sunset

This breathtaking image of the sunset on earth was captured from the International Space Station by an Expedition 13 astronaut in August 10, 2006. Expedition 13 mission was able to accomplish a total of 2,886 orbits.

Oahu, Hawaii, U.S.A. September 1988

This photo of Oahu Island in Hawaii was taken in September 1988 from the International Space Station. Oahu ranks third among the islands of Hawaii and the most important being the headquarters of the United States Pacific Command and the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the deepest point on earth, and here's an article about the origin of life on earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, photo, photos, planet earth, satellite

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Looking Down on Earth

This photo of the earth, particularly the Indian Ocean was captured in 1999 during the STS-96 mission of space shuttle Discovery. Discovery is one of the three operational orbiters of NASA's space shuttle fleet. Atlantis and Endeavor are the other two.

Ivan the Terrible

This image of Hurricane Ivan was taken by Astronaut Edward M. Fincke from the International Space Station in September 2004. Hurricane Ivan is considered the 10th stongest Atlantic hurricane.

Earthrise - Apollo 8

This spectacular image of the earth as seen from the moon was taken by the astronauts onboard the Apollo 8 space craft in December 1968. Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight mission to successfully escape from the earth's gravitational field.

Bosporus Strait

Here's an image of the Bosporus Strait obtained from the International Space Station in April 16, 2004. Bosporus Strait is known to separate the Asian and European parts of Turkey.

Taking out the Trash

This photo shows the usual scene when a supply vehicle such as Progress 14 takes out wastes to the space. These wastes are usually called space junk. They will eventually be burned once they enter the earth's atmosphere. This image was captured from the International Space Station on July 30, 2004.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about life beyond earth, and here's an article about modeling the earth's magnetic field.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, planet earth, space, wallpaper

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Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Here's a satellite image of McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antartica taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on board the Terra satellite. ASTER is an imaging instrument that provides detailed maps of the earth's land surface.

Earthrise - Apollo 8

This very interesting image of the earth as seen from the moon was taken by the astronauts onboard the Apollo 8 space craft in December 1968. Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight mission to successfully escape from the earth's gravitational field.

STS-29 Onboard photo - External Tank Separation

This photo of the external tank after separation with the space shuttle Discovery was captured from the International Space Station during the STS-29 mission in 1989. The external tank or ET is an important component of a space shuttle flight since it supplies the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to the three space shuttle main engines.

Sunset

This breathtaking image of the sunset on earth was captured from the International Space Station by an Expedition 13 astronaut in August 10, 2006. Expedition 13 mission was able to accomplish a total of 2,886 orbits.

A Crescent Earth at Midnight

Here's an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about how far is space from earth, and here's an article about why earth has seasons.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: background, desktop, Earth, planet earth, wallpaper, wallpapers

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View of the Journey Home

Here's a unique photo of the earth's atmosphere taken by the crew members of Atlantis' STS-125 mission during its preparation for landing on May 20, 2009.

The Algerian desert

Here's a nice image of the Algerian Desert. This was captured by Commander Leroy Chiao of Expedition 10 from the International Space Station in December 11, 2004.

Sunrise in Space

This photo of the earth's atmosphere during sunrise was taken in July 2005 by a Discovery crew member during the STS-114 mission. STS-114 mission was the first Return to Flight mission after the unfortunate loss of the Columbia space shuttle.

Ongoing Eruption of Mount Belinda

This is an amazing photo of the eruption of Mount Belinda volcano located at the Montagu Island. This was taken from the Terra satellite by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on December 7, 2003.

Earth - South America (first frame of Earth Spin Movie)

This amazing photo of the earth was captured by the space craft Galileo during its flight to Jupiter in December 11, 1990. Galileo was the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Jupiter.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the earth's atmosphere coming from the outer space, and here's an article about how fast the earth rotates.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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A Different View

This image was taken from the International Space Station by a crew member of the STS-129 mission in November 19, 2009. The image shows the amazing view of the earth's atmosphere behind the Atlantis space craft docked in the station.

A view of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola from the International Space Station

Here's a satellite image of the Caribbean Island from the International Space Station taken by the Expedition 20 crew in September 28, 2009. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault runs along the longer peninsula which can be seen in the image.

Earth in Full View

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in 1972. The south polar ice cap of Antarctica can be clearly seen in the image. This region constitutes 70% of the world's freshwater.

Hurricane Emily and the Moon

This beautiful view of the eye of Hurricane Emily and the moon was captured from the International Space Station in July 16, 2005. Hurricane Emily is a Category 5 hurricane having a maximum wind speed of 160 mph.

Mt. Everest from Space

This amazing photo of Mt. Everest was captured from the International Space Station. Mt. Everest is the highest mountain on Earth with a height of 8,848 meters above sea level.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about how long is an earth day, and here's an article about how long it takes the sunlight to reach the earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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A Crescent Earth at Midnight

Here's an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.

Denver, Colorado, USA

This image of Denver, Colorado was taken from the International Space Station. Denver is the capital city of Colorado and the most populous city in the state.

London at Night

This amazing photo of London at night was captured from the International Space Station in February 2003. London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom.

Earth at Night

This image of the earth at night is actually composed of 400 pictures taken by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite. It can be noticed that the brightest lights are concentrated in urban areas.

United Kingdom

This is how the United Kingdom looks like at night. It was taken by an astronaut from the International Space Station in February 1, 2008.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the distance from earth to mars, and here's an article about the symbol for planet earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: city light, Earth, Earth Observation, NASA, night, pictures, planet earth

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City of Shenyang

Here's an image of the city of Shenyang taken from the International Space Station. Shenyang is one of the most important cities in China in terms of industry.

Backdropped by a Colorful Earth

This picture shows two astronauts, Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. (left) and Christer Fuglesang while conducting an extravehicular activity outside the International Space Station as part of the STS-116 mission. On the background is the Cook Strait in New Zealand and the Pacific Ocean.

Egypt's Lake Nasser

Here's a high quality photo of the Lake Nasser taken from the International Space Station by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao. It was taken in January 23, 2005. Lake Nasser which can be found in Egypt is 550 km long and 35 km across.

The Earth & Moon

This image of the earth and its moon was taken separately by the spacecraft Galileo in 1992 during its journey to planet Jupiter. Galileo was launched in October 18, 1989 and became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter.

View of Earth’s horizon taken by Expedition 7

This breathtaking photo of the earth's horizon was taken from the International Space Station by an Expedition 7 astronaut in July 21, 2003. Expedition 7 used the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft which is the most recent revision of the Soyuz spacecraft.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about 10 interesting facts about the earth, and here's an article about the temperature of earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Earth from space

If you noticed, we specified that this distance is an average value. That's because the path that the Earth makes around the Sun is elliptical in shape. That means, it is not the same all throughout.

At its farthest point away from the Sun, known as the aphelion, the distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 152,097,701 km or 1.0167103335 AU. Then at its nearest point away from the Sun, known as its perihelion, the distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 147,098,074 km or 0.9832898912 AU.

Subsequently, at other points along its orbit, the distance from the Earth to the Sun is smaller than its distance at the aphelion and larger than its distance at the perihelion.

As mentioned earlier, this average distance is usually used as a standard of measurement and known as the AU. For instance, Pluto's distance from the Sun is about 50 AU at its aphelion and 30 AU at its perihelion. On the other hand, Jupiter's distance from the Sun about 5.46 AU at its aphelion and about 4.95 at its perihelion.

If you want a distance of a celestial body outside our Solar System, here are a few. Proxima Centauri, the nearest known star from the Sun, is about 265,607 AU away. It is about 15,000 AU from the binary star system Alpha Centauri. Binary star systems are actually two stars that orbit a common barycenter (center of mass). Technically, Alpha Centauri is the second and third nearest star to the Sun.

Another unit used for large distances is the light year or the distance light can cover in a vacuum in a period of one year. The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 0.0000158 light years. Thus, 1 AU = 0.0000158 light years or 1 light year is approximately equal to 63,240 AU. As you can see, the light year is better suited for much larger distances in the Universe.
We have some related articles here in Universe Today. Here are the links:
Light Year
Parsec
Here are the links of two more articles from NASA:
What is a light-year and how is it used?
Buzz Lightyear to Soar with Discovery
Here are two episodes at Astronomy Cast that you might want to check out as well:
Large Scale Structure of the Universe
Infrared Astronomy

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Post tags: astronomical unit, distance from the Earth to the Sun, Earth, light year, sun

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The Goddard Space Flight Center has a Flickr account showcasing a series of images of our own home planet. Called "Blue Marble," these spectacular images are the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date. Using a collection of satellite-based observations, scientists and visualizers stitched together months of observations in 2001 of the land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless, true-color mosaic of every square kilometer (.386 square mile) of our planet. Your tax dollars at work, these images are freely available to educators, scientists, museums, and the public. This record includes preview images and links to full resolution versions up to 21,600 pixels across.
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Read the rest of Best "Blue Marble" Images Yet (40 words)

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Sunrise in Space

This photo of the earth's atmosphere during sunrise was taken in July 2005 by a Discovery crew member during the STS-114 mission. STS-114 mission was the first Return to Flight mission after the unfortunate loss of the Columbia space shuttle.

The Earth & Moon

This image of the earth and its moon was taken separately by the spacecraft Galileo in 1992 during its journey to planet Jupiter. Galileo was launched in October 18, 1989 and became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter.

SuitSat-1 Floats Free

This is an image of the SuitSat-1 roaming freely on space taken from the International Space Station. This is the latest satellite of earth launched on Feb. 3, 2006.

Ongoing Eruption of Mount Belinda

This is an amazing photo of the eruption of Mount Belinda volcano located at the Montagu Island. This was taken from the Terra satellite by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on December 7, 2003.

Moon Aglow

This breathtaking photo of the earth's atmosphere and the full moon was taken from the International Space Station by an Expedition 10 crew member in October 2004. Expedition 10 crew members, Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov relieved the two Expedition 9 crew members, Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the lithosphere of the earth, and here's an article about the center of the earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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The Himalaya Mountains

Here's a breathtaking view of the Himalaya Mountains. This image was captured from the International Space Station by a crew member of the Expedition 10 in February 1, 2005.

Thinning Upper Atmosphere

This is an image of the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere taken from the International Space Station in December 18, 2003. The beautiful crescent moon was also captured in this photo.

The Algerian desert

Here's a nice image of the Algerian Desert. This was captured by Commander Leroy Chiao of Expedition 10 from the International Space Station in December 11, 2004.

The Brightness of the Sun

This spectacular photo of the earth was taken in November 22, 2009 from the International Space Station during the STS-129 mission of the Atlantis space shuttle.

The Americas and Hurricane Andrew

This image of the earth was taken in August 25, 1992 during the mighty devastation of Hurrican Andrew in the United States. It was captured by the NOAA GOES-7 satellite. G-O-E-S stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the sun hurling another flare on earth, and here's an article about the diameter of earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, NASA, planet earth, view, views

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A Crescent Earth at Midnight

Here's an amazing picture of the earth in crescent. This breathtaking view of our planet was obtained by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-8) on June 22, 1996. GOES is primarily assigned in monitoring the weather particularly the development of storms and hurricanes in different parts of the earth.

A view of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola from the International Space Station

Here's a satellite image of the Caribbean Island from the International Space Station taken by the Expedition 20 crew in September 28, 2009. Haiti, the location of the catastrophic earthquake which occurred just recently, can be found in this island together with Dominican Republic.

The Americas and Hurricane Andrew

This image of the earth was taken in August 25, 1992 during the mighty devastation of Hurrican Andrew in the United States. It was captured by the NOAA GOES-7 satellite. Hurricane Andrew is considered the third most powerful among the Category 5 hurricanes on earth to make a landfall during the 20th century.

London at Night

This amazing photo of London at night was captured from the International Space Station in February 2003.

The Himalaya Mountains

Here's a breathtaking view of the Himalaya Mountains. This image was captured from the International Space Station by a crew member of the Expedition 10 in February 1, 2005.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the symbol for planet earth, and here's an article about the closest star to earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, planet earth, satellite, Satellites, view, views

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Gosses Bluff Meteorite Crater

This is the satellite image of the Gosses Bluff Meteorite Crater which can be found in the MacDonnell Ranges, Central Australia. This impact crater was caused by an asteroid or comet that was believed to hit the earth in the Cretaceous Period.

Greater Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea

This photo of the Hispaniola island, one of the four islands of the Greater Antilles located in the Caribbean Sea was captured from the International Space Station by a crew member of the Expedition 17 in August 19, 2008. Dominican Republic and the recent victim of earthquake, Haiti, are located in the Hispaniola island.

Hanging Out

This picture shows a spectacular view of the earth behind astronaut Michael Gernhardt of the STS-69 mission of the space shuttle Endeavor in 1995.

Hurricane Emily and the Moon

This beautiful view of the eye of Hurricane Emily and the moon was captured from the International Space Station in July 16, 2005. Hurricane Emily is a Category 5 hurricane having a maximum wind speed of 160 mph.

The Blue Marble from Apollo 17

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in December 7, 1972. The image clearly shows the entire coastline of Africa together with the Arabian Peninsula.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about Saturn compared to Earth, and here's an article about the distance between the moon and earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Egypt's Lake Nasser

Here's a high quality photo of the Lake Nasser taken from the International Space Station by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao. It was taken in January 23, 2005. Lake Nasser which can be found in Egypt is 550 km long and 35 km across.

Earthrise - Apollo 8

This spectacular image of the earth as seen from the moon was taken by the astronauts onboard the Apollo 8 space craft in December 1968.

Earth - South America (first frame of Earth Spin Movie)

This amazing photo of the earth was captured by the space craft Galileo during its flight to Jupiter in December 11, 1990. The Galileo space craft was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to study the Jupiter system.

Denakil Desert, Eritrea and Ethiopia November 1985

Here's an image of the Denakil Desert taken from the International Space Station in November 1985. Denakil Desert is located in the north eastern Ethiopia and is considered as the worst environment on earth.

Backpacking

This image shows the earth's horizon and the mission specialist Bruce McCandless II in a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). MMU allows the astronauts to move freely in space without worrying about the danger of getting far from the spacecraft.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about what the earth is made of, and here's an article about earth-like planets.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Post tags: Earth, image, images, NASA, planet earth

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United Kingdom

Here's a spectacular image of the city lights in the United Kingdom at night. This photo was taken from the International Space Station.

The Brightness of the Sun

This spectacular photo of the earth was taken in November 22, 2009 from the International Space Station during the STS-129 mission of the Atlantis space shuttle.

The Algerian desert

Here's a nice image of the Algerian Desert. This was captured by Commander Leroy Chiao of Expedition 10 from the International Space Station in December 11, 2004.

Space, Horizon, Endeavour

This is an image of the space shuttle Endeavor during its first spacewalk. The space shuttle's name came from a national competition involving students in elementary and secondary schools for which it became the most popular entry.

The Blue Marble from Apollo 17

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in December 7, 1972. The image clearly shows the entire coastline of Africa together with the Arabian Peninsula.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the Earth compared to Venus, and here's an article about the distance between Saturn and Earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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Wilkins Ice Shelf

This photo of the Wilkins Ice Shelf located in the Antarctica was captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) onboard NASA's Terra satellite in April 12, 2009. This shelf is approximately the size of Jamaica.

View of Earth’s horizon taken by Expedition 7

This breathtaking photo of the earth's horizon was taken from the International Space Station by an Expedition 7 astronaut in July 21, 2003. Expedition 7 used the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft which is the most recent revision of the Soyuz spacecraft.

The Blue Marble from Apollo 17

This is a spectacular full view of our planet earth. It was taken by the Apollo 17 during their journey to the moon in December 7, 1972. The south polar ice cap of Antarctica can be clearly seen in the image. This region constitutes 70% of the world's freshwater. This photo of the earth was the first to feature the south polar ice cap.

Oblique Shot of the Earth

This image showing the earth's curvature was taken from a space shuttle during the EarthKAM program in September 4, 1997. The space shuttle was directly above the northwestern part of the African continent when this image was captured.

Mir Dreams

This image of the earth and the Mir space station was captured by the space shuttle Atlantis crew members in 1996. The image features the southern part of New Zealand and the city of Nelson. Mir belongs to the Soviet (Russian) space system and is considered the longest consistently manned space station.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about the carbon cycle, and here's an article about the albedo of the earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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The Great Wall of China and Inner Mongolia

This is an amazing photo of the Great Wall of China taken from the International Space Station. This image was captured by Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao. The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object which can be seen from space.

Spider Crater, Western Australia

This photo provides an amazing view of the Spider Crater located in the Western Australia. It was taken in August 11, 2000 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) onboard NASA’s Terra satellite.

The Himalaya Mountains

Here's a breathtaking view of the Himalaya Mountains. This image was captured from the International Space Station by a crew member of the Expedition 10 in February 1, 2005.

The Americas and Hurricane Andrew

This image of the earth was taken in August 25, 1992 during the mighty devastation of Hurrican Andrew in the United States. It was captured by the NOAA GOES-7 satellite. Hurricane Andrew is considered the third most powerful among the Category 5 hurricanes on earth to make a landfall during the 20th century.

Ivan the Terrible

This image of Hurricane Ivan was taken by Astronaut Edward M. Fincke from the International Space Station in September 2004. Hurricane Ivan is considered the 10th stongest Atlantic hurricane.

We have written many articles about the planet Earth for Universe Today. Here's an article about a cooked meteorite seeding life on earth, and here's an article about the destruction of earth.

If you'd like more info about the Earth, check out Visible Earth, and here's a link to the NASA Earth Observatory Homepage.

We've also recorded related episodes of Astronomy Cast about the Earth. Listen here, Episode 51: Earth.

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