A few fantastic earth pictures taken the last couple of months, shown in no particular order and with caption below each image.

Tropical Cyclone Anja

Acquired November 16, 2009
Satellite: Terra
Instrument: MODIS

After forming as a tropical storm over the Southern Indian Ocean on November 14, 2009, Anja strengthened to a cyclone one day later. By November 16, 2009, Anja was a Category 3 cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 105 knots (195 kilometers per hour), and gusts up to 130 knots (240 kilometers per hour). Anja was located near 14.7 degrees South and 68.3 degrees East.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 16, 2009. Far away from any major landmasses, Anja sprawls over the Southern Indian Ocean, her long arms spiraling outward, and her eye easily detectable.

Katabatic Winds Rake Antarctica’s Terra Nova Bay

Acquired September 16, 2009
Satellite: Earth Observing-1
Instrument: ALI

Just days away from the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere’s spring, Antarctica’s Inexpressible Island and the Northern Foothills Mountains were illuminated by a glimmer of sunlight from a low angle when the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image on September 16, 2009. The seaward slopes of the mountains are gleaming white, and they cast long shadows inland over the Nansen Ice Sheet. Terra Nova Bay appears in shadow.

Dust over Afghanistan

Acquired November 15, 2009
Satellite: Terra
Instrument: MODIS

During wet years, a series of shallow lakes and wetlands straddle the Afghanistan-Iran border. At other times, the dry Sistan Wetlands are a significant source of dust. The sediment left after water evaporates from the wetland is fine and easily lofted on the wind. On November 15, 2009, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of a typical dust storm over the Sistan Wetlands.

The dried wetlands and lakebeds are pale tan in contrast to the darker tan of the surrounding desert. The airborne dust is similarly pale in color. Much of the dust seems to be coming from the largest lakebed, the Hamun-e Saberi.

Upsala Glacier, Argentina

Acquired October 25, 2009

The Southern Patagonian Icefield of Argentina and Chile is the southern remnant of the Patagonia Ice Sheet that covered the southern Andes Mountains during the last ice age. This detailed astronaut photograph illustrates the terminus of one of the icefield’s many spectacular glaciers—Upsala Glacier, located on the eastern side of the icefield. Upsala is the third largest glacier in the icefield, and like most other glaciers in the region, it has experienced significant retreat over the past century.

This image was taken during spring in the Southern Hemisphere, and icebergs were calving from the glacier terminus into the waters of Lago Argentino (Lake Argentina, image right).