World Space Week 2016, which ends October 10, celebrates cool uses of space on the ground. Have you visited any of these places? See them from an astronaut’s perspective on the International Space Station.
The world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, appears on the left while the dark green marshes of Lake Chad stand out in the foreground. (NASA)
Hawaiian Islands, U.S.
In this panorama, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano (left) displays long swirls of volcanic gases. (NASA)
Santa Marta, Colombia
Astronauts looking at the many peaks of Colombia’s Santa Marta massif took this photo in the early morning. (NASA)
Aurora over Scandinavia
The bright green aurora is caused by “space weather,” as energetic particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. The blue is sunlight over the horizon. Here, the aurora shines over Scandinavia. (NASA)
Himalayas, China
This image looks over the Himalayan range in China near the Indian border. The range has the planet’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest. (NASA)
Australian coastline
Coastal lagoons with numerous rounded islands are typical of the Indian Ocean coastline of Western Australia. The red is muddy rainwater and the white rectangles are salt evaporation ponds. (NASA)
Tunisia, old and new
This picture shows the old and new cities of Sfax, Tunisia’s second largest city, which was founded in 849. The bright pink rectangles are salt evaporation ponds tinted by algae. (NASA)
ShareAmerica staff writer Michael Buchanan contributed to this report.
