We live on a spectacular, bizarre, wonderful, weird, confusing, awe-inspiring planet. NASA’s Earth Day campaign sent me hunting for a few of the places that leave me delighted. Where are your favourite spots on this strange planet of ours?
Top image: Lake Gairdner National Park in South Australia contains the largest salt lakes in Australia during flood season, and vast, dry salt pans during the dry season. Credit: JAXA/ESA
The Eye of the Sahara glares at astronauts from the desert. Image credit: NASA/Roscosmos/Oleg Artemyev Hermanovitch
https://gizmodo.com/the-eye-of-the-sahara-is-an-enigmatic-desert-landmark-1607604961
Terraces climb from the valley floors into the hills in Sichuan, China to create ever-more rice paddies. Image credit: Planet Labs
The confluence of the Mattagami River and Missinaibi River into the Moose River in winter is simply beautiful. Image credit: NASA/ESA/Paolo Nespoli
The Caspian Sea is the largest landlocked water body in the world, dyed green with phosphorus-triggered algae blooms. Image credit: KARI/ESA
The Betsiboka estuary of Madagascar marks the end of the country’s largest river. Image credit: JAXA/ESA
9 Eyes in the Pacific Ocean never fails to impress. Image credit: NASA
https://gizmodo.com/mataiva-atoll-1550930046
Mangroves cluster around the branching streams of Keep River Inlet in Australia. Image credit: Planet Labs
The Land of Terror is a dramatic windscape of sedimentary rocks. Image credit: ESA
https://gizmodo.com/erosion-exposes-curving-sedimentary-beds-in-the-land-of-1684455771
The clay, sand, and salt of Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir salt desert is laid bare by raging winds, exposing the gentle curves of sedimentary rocks. Image credit: EUSI
The Tongue of the Ocean in the Bahamas is 100% slurping awesomeness. Image credit: NASA
Sediment makes this estuary in Western Australia outstandingly pretty. Image credit: NASA/USGS Landsat/Geoscience Australia
