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Fifteen of the most breathtaking photos of Earth from the International Space Station

By Thu-Huong Ha
Published

Nothing is quite as humbling as the sight of Earth from above. Viewed from the International Space Station, areas of disputed land shrink to tiny cracks, while entire nations are no bigger than quarters.

Take a look for yourself, in this collection of NASA’s favorite space photos from 2015, released last month (Dec. 28).

1. Thunderstorms, northwest Mexico

2. Aquaculture, northeast China

3. India-Pakistan border at night

4. Lake Chad and a Sahara dust plume

5. Volcanoes and vortices, Hawaii

6. Sierra Nevada de ​Santa Marta, Colombia

7. Scandinavia at night

8. Brown water, Argentina

9. Rivers and snow in the Himalayas, China and India

10. Laguna Colorada, Bolivia

11. Adele Island, northwest Australia

12. Salt Ponds, western Australia

13. Cape Cod, Massachusetts

14. The port of Sfax, Tunisia

15. Flooding on the Mekong River floodplain, Thailand and Laos

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