A river of warm ocean water, the Gulf Stream is visible as it moves northward in the Atlantic Ocean. The bright red and yellow zones show areas of cooler water at the northern edge of the Gulf Stream.
SeaWiFS sensor on OrbView-2 satellite, April 2003 SeaWiFS Project, NASA/GSFC and GeoEye
The Lena River flows north for over 2,800 miles through Russian Siberia to the Arctic Ocean. As the river enters the Laptev Sea, it divides into many channels to form a biologically rich delta.
Landsat7 satellite, July 2000 USGS, EROS Data Center
At least five groups of forest fires, some of the largest California had ever seen, can be seen burning in this image. Dry winds blowing off the Mojave Desert, known as the Santa Ana winds, carried these firest toward populated areas.
MODIS sensor on Terra satellite, October 2003 Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is visible as it crosses San Francisco Bay, one of the world's greatest harbors. Detailed, high-resolution images reveal buildings, automobiles and other evidence of densely developed urban centers.
The Giza Pyramids were constructed around 2500 BC as monumental tombs. The largest and oldest pyramid was originally over 480 feet high and is made of 5.7 million tons of limestone.
Bridges, tunnels and subways connect Manhattan and the other boroughs. More than 10 million people live in the area captured in this view. Landsat images, such as this one, are used to map the extent of urbanization on the earth's surface.
Landsat 7 satellite, April 2002 USGS, EROS Data Center, National Air and Space Museum
Streetlights are the source of most of the light seen in this image, but petroleum fires also contribute. A dark blue layer was added to the image to show where land masses are located. European cities are especially bright, and in Egypt, lights glitter along the Nile.
DMSP satellites, Data collected 1994-95 NASA/GSFC/Visualization Analysis Laboratory
