Remote, rugged and extraordinarily beautiful, Alaska’s Aleutian Islands are best known for wildlife reserves, military bases, fishing, furs and fog. The sprawling volcanic archipelago was brought into the spotlight by the Russian-supported expedition of Alexey Chirikov and Vitus Bering in 1741, and soon became controlled by the Russian-American Fur Company. In 1867 the United States purchased Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, from Russia. By 1900 the port in Unalaska was well established as a shipping port for Alaska gold.  The archipelago sweeps about 1,200 miles (1,800 km) from the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula to Attu, the most westward island. Four major island groups hold 14 large islands, about 55 smaller islands, and a large number of islets, adding up to roughly 150 islands/islets in total. This chain separates the Bering Sea (north) from the Pacific Ocean (south) and the islands are connected by the Marine Highway Ferry – at least as far as Unalaska. For the most remote islands, such as birding paradise of Attu, the western-most Aleutian Island, travel becomes trickier and relies primarily on custom charter.  The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flew over the region and captured this spectacular true-color image of the eastern Aleutian Islands on May 15, 2014. In this image, the Alaskan Peninsula protrudes from the mainland and sweeps to the southwest. The first set of islands are called the Fox Island group. Unalaska Island is part of this group and can be identified, with some imagination, as an island formed in the shape of a flying cherub, with two arms (peninsulas) outstretched towards the northeast, seemingly reaching for the round “balls” of Akutan and Akun Islands. The smallest islands in the west of the image belong to the group known as the Islands of Four Mountains. The Aleutians continue far to the west of this image.  Fog surrounds the Aleutians, stretching from just off the southwestern Alaska mainland to the western Fox Islands group, then further southwest across the Pacific Ocean. It appears to give way to marine stratocumulus clouds in the west. Fog is common in the area, and can be a hazard to shipping.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team    <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>   <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.   <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>   <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>   <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Aleutian Islands
Heron Island is located in Queensland, Australia, approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) off the Australian mainland, to the northeast of Gladstone. Part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the island is an evergreen coral cay surrounded by Wistari coral reef. Although just 42 acres in size, the island is home to a large resort and the University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station. The island is famous for diving and snorkeling and is a World Heritage-Listed Marine National Park. It is one of two locations on the Great Barrier Reef that are serving as bases for in-water validation activities for NASA's Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) mission, which is studying the condition and function of the Great Barrier Reef and selected reef systems worldwide using NASA's airborne Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM) instrument from an altitude of 28,000 feet (8,500 meters).  The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft acquired this image of Heron Island and its surroundings on December 22, 2001. The island appears at the left of the reef (Heron Reef) in the center of the image. Vegetation is red on the image. The image covers an area of 10.3 by 18.6 miles (16.5 by 30.0 kilometers), and is located at 23.5 degrees south, 151.9 degrees east.   http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20900
A Bird Eye View of Australia Heron Island
Streamlined Island
Streamlined Island
Islands in the Stream
Islands in the Stream
Crater Island
Crater Island
More than 9,000 years ago, a catastrophic volcanic eruption created a huge caldera on the southern end of Onekotan Island, one of the Kuril Islands, located off the southern tip of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Today, the ancient Tao-Rusyr Caldera is filled by the deep blue waters of Kal’tsevoe Lake.  The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this true-color image of southern Onekotan on June 10, 2009. In this late-spring shot, snow or ice lingers on the land, forming white streaks on a brown-and-green land surface. In the northwest quadrant of the caldera is Krenitzyn Peak, which rises to a height of 1,325 meters (4,347 feet).  Like the other Kuril Islands, Onekotan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” The Kuril Island volcanoes are fueled by magma generated by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Eurasian Plate, which takes place along a deep trench about 200 kilometers (120 miles) to the islands’ east. The only historical eruption at Krenitzyn Peak occurred in 1952, a week after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake along the subduction fault.  NASA Earth Observatory image created by Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey.   <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Tao-Rusyr Caldera, Onekotan Island, Kuril Islands
Tenarife Island is one of the most volcanically active of the Canary Island archipelago, Atlantic Ocean, just off the NW coast of Africa, (28.5N, 16.5W). The old central caldera, nearly filled in by successive volcanic activity culminating in two stratocones. From those two peaks, a line of smaller cinder cones extend to the point of the island. Extensive gullies dissect the west side of the island and some forests still remain on the east side.
Tenarife Island, Canary Island Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean
Raikoke volcanic island is near the center of the Kuril Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The island is roughly circular with dimensions of 2.0 by 2.5 kilometers. On June 22, the volcano erupted with a gas and ash plume reaching 17 kilometers. The two ASTER images, acquired exactly 10 years apart on June 30, dramatically depict the changes to the island. In 2009, vegetation (red) covered most of the island. The 2019 image shows an ash and steam plume rising from the caldera. There is no trace of any vegetation, ash deposits having buried everything. The images are located at 48.3 degrees north, 153.2 degrees east.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23326
Raikoke Island, Kuril Islands
This almost totally cloud free, photo of the island of Timor, Indonesia (9.0S, 125.0E) illustrates the volcanic origin of the over 1500 islands of Indonesia. Close examination of the photo reveals several eroded volcanoes on the Island of Timor and several of the adjacent islands. The linear alignment of the volcanoes, as seen from space, indicates the edges of the tectonic plates of the Earth's crust where volcanic activity is most common.
Island of Timor, Indonesia
January 1st, 2001: Description: Akpatok Island lies in Ungava Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Accessible only by air, Akpatok Island rises out of the water as sheer cliffs that soar 500 to 800 feet (150 to 243m) above the sea surface. The island is an important sanctuary for cliff-nesting seabirds. Numerous ice floes around the island attract walrus and whales, making Akpatok a traditional hunting ground for native Inuit people.  Source: Landsat 7  To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to:  <a href="http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/</a>
Akpatok Island
These streamlined islands are located in Mangala Vallis
Streamlined Islands
The entire Hawaiian Island Archipelago (21.5N, 158.0W) is seen in this single view. The islands are a favorite international resort and tourist attraction drawing visitors from all over the world to enjoy the tropical climate, year round beaches and lush island flora. Being volcanic in origin, the islands' offer a rugged landscape and on the big island of Hawaii, there is still an occasional volcanic eruption of lava flows and steam vents.
Hawaiian Island Archipelago
Opportunity at Cook Islands Polar
Opportunity at Cook Islands Polar
King George Island Brushed
King George Island Brushed
Opportunity at Cook Islands Vertical
Opportunity at Cook Islands Vertical
Channel with Island in False Color
Channel with Island in False Color
Islands on a Dark Plain
Islands on a Dark Plain
Opportunity at Cook Islands
Opportunity at Cook Islands
Islands in Kasei Vallis
Islands in Kasei Vallis
NASA image acquired December 21, 2011  The rugged landscape of the Canary Islands stood out in sharp contrast to the smooth blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the flat tan land of northwestern Africa on December 21, 2011, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this true-color image.  The Canary Islands are a group of seven large islands and several smaller islets, all volcanic in origin. The eastern edge of the chain lies only 100 kilometers from the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara, and the chain stretches for about 500 kilometers across the Atlantic. All the islands are mountainous, and Tenerife, the central island in this image is home to Pico de Teinde, the highest peak, which rises 12,198 feet (3,718 meters) above sea level.  From east to west, the islands are named Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palmera and El Hierro. A bright swirl of peacock blue marks the ocean south of El Hierro, a stain on the sea from an ongoing eruption of a volcano under the waters.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Canary Islands
Little Joe on launcher at Wallops Island.
Little Joe on launcher at Wallops Island
On December 10, 2013 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite flew across the central Atlantic Ocean and captured a true-color image of the Canary Islands.  Lying off of the coast of Western Sahara and Morocco, the islands were created by successive submarine volcanic eruptions which raised the ocean floor vertically until some of land rose above sea level. The oldest islands lie in the east and the youngest in the west. From east to west, the major islands seen in this image are: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palmera and El Hierro.  While the creation of the islands began in the Late Cretaceous Period (70 – 80 million years ago), active volcanic activity continues. In 2011, a spectacular submarine eruption occurred just off the shore of El Hierro. The volcano became quiet again, but very recently increasing earthquakes and changing height of El Hierro suggested the volcano may again be entering an active eruptive phase.  On December 27 the island’s volcano monitoring agency had raised the volcanic eruption risk for El Hierro to “yellow” – a code that means increasing activity but no eruption imminent. That afternoon a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck offshore at El Hierro. The epicenter was 9 miles (15 km) deep, and it was one of the largest quakes ever recorded at the island.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team   <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Canary Islands
The Diomede Islands consisting of the western island Big Diomede, and the eastern island Little Diomede are two rocky islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite.
Diomede Islands, Bering Straight
STS026-43-082 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- This 70mm northerly oriented frame over the Pacific Ocean features the Hawaiian Islands chain. The islands perturb the prevailing northeasterly winds producing extensive cloud wakes in the lee of the islands. Photo experts feel that atmospheric haze in the Hawaii wake is probably a result of the continuing eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the southeast coast. From the lower right corner in a diagonal directed upward to the north are the islands of Nihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Kahoolawe, and Hawaii. This photo was shown during the post-flight press conference on October 11, 1988 by the STS-26 astronauts, who at one time during the flight wore Hawaiian attire to pay tribute to the working staff of the Hawaii tracking station.
Hawaiian Island Archipelago
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the Kerguelen Islands also known as the Desolation Islands, which are part of the French Southern and Antarctic lands. The islands are among the most isolated places on Earth.
Kerguelen Islands
Belcher Islands - September 21st, 2001  Description: Like sweeping brushstrokes of pink and green, the Belcher Islands meander across the deep blue of Canada's Hudson Bay. The islands' only inhabitants live in the small town of Sanikiluaq, near the upper end of the middle island. Despite the green hues in this image, these rocky islands are too cold to sustain more than a smattering of low-growing vegetation.  Credit: USGS/NASA/Landsat 5  To learn more about the Landsat satellite go to: <a href="http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/</a>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
Belcher Islands
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the Faroe Islands, an archipelago and autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, comprising 18 major islands.
Faroe Islands
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows St. Matthew Island, a remote island in the Bering Sea in Alaska.
St. Matthew Island, Alaska
STS054-74-049 (13-19 Jan. 1993) --- St. Croix is the largest, and most industrial of the U.S. Virgin Islands.  This photograph captures St. Croix's features in great detail.  The large industrial complex in the middle of the southern shore is the world's largest petroleum refinery.  The main city, Christiansted, can be seen across the island on the north shore.  The reefs around the eastern end of St. Croix are preserved as a submarine national park -- Buck Island Reef National Park -- around the small island off the north shore of the eastern end of St. Croix.
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean Sea
Mackinac Island, Michigan, is a small island off the northern coast of Lake Huron. What makes it special is that all cars and motor vehicles were banned in 1900 from the 3.8-sq-island, home to 600 year-round residents. Each year over 1 million tourists visit the island to enjoy its peace and tranquility. The scene was acquired August 9, 2021 , covers an area of 13.8 by 21.3 km, and is located at 45.8 degrees north, 84.6 degrees west.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26621
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, and contains the territory capital, Cockburn Town. NASA Terra spacecraft acquired this image on September 18, 2001.
Grand Turk Island
Tofua Island in the central part of the Tonga Islands group is the summit of a large stratovolcano that contains a 5-km-wide caldera. Three post-caldera cones were constructed at the northern end of a caldera lake. The easternmost cone produced lava flows, some of which have traveled into the caldera lake. The current eruption period began in October 2015 and has more recently consisted of thermal activity. The image was acquired October 10, 2023, covers an area of 11.6 by 12 km, and is located at 19.7 degrees south, 175.1 degrees west.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26393
Tofua Island, Tonga Islands
This image is a perspective view acquired by NASA Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar AIRSAR in 2001, is of Umnak Island, one of Alaska Aleutian Islands. The active Okmok volcano appears in the center of the island.
Perspective View of Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska #2
This image is a perspective view acquired by NASA Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar AIRSAR in 2001, is of Umnak Island, one of Alaska Aleutian Islands. The active Okmok volcano appears in the center of the island.
Perspective View of Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska #1
BO THAO-URABE, A MEMBER OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S COMMISSION ON ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS, SPOKE TO TEAM MEMBERS OF NASA’S MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER DURING AN ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS MONTH CELEBRATION EVENT MAY 31.
ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS HERITAGE MONTH
Completed: 07-16-2009  Straddling the equator approximately 1000 kilometers to the west of the South American mainland, the Galapagos Islands lie within the heart of the equatorial current system. Rising from the sea floor, the volcanic islands of the Galapagos are set on top of a large submarine platform. The main portion of the Galapagos platform is relatively flat and less than 1000 meters in depth. The steepest slopes are found along the western and southern flanks of the platform with a gradual slope towards the east. The interactions of the Galapagos and the oceanic currents create vastly different environmental regimes which not only isolates one part of the Archipelago from the other but allows penguins to live along the equator on the western part of the Archipelago and tropical corals around the islands to the north. The islands are relatively new in geologic terms with the youngest islands in the west still exhibiting periodic eruptions from their massive volcanic craters.   Please give credit for this item to: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, The SeaWiFS Project and GeoEye, Scientific Visualization Studio. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data presented on this web site are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with GeoEye (http://www.geoeye.com).  To download this video go to:  <a href="http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?3628" rel="nofollow">svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?3628</a>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b>  is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Galapagos Islands Flyby [HD Video]
NASA SeaWinds instrument on the QuikScat satellite shows winds are blocked by an island mountain barrier on South Georgia Island, in the South Atlantic Ocean in the year 2000.
SeaWinds - South Georgia Island
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows North Stradbroke Island, 30 km southeast of Brisbane, Australia, one of the largest sand islands in the world.
North Stradbroke Island, Australia
This image of the Galapagos Islands captures two large shield volcanoes on Isla Isabella, the largest and least inhabited island in the Galapagos chain. This image is from NASA EarthKAM.
Isla Isabella, Galapagos Island
SL2-05-364 (22 June 1973) --- Lying in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the entire Island of Crete (35.0N, 25.0E) can be seen in great detail in this cloud free view. The volcanic origins of this island can also be observed in the many sharp and angular ridgelines and rugged coastal features. Photo credit: NASA
Entire Island of Crete
STS006-45-097 (4-9 April 1983) --- This photograph was taken with a handheld 70mm camera aimed through the “ceiling” windows of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Challenger during its five-day STS-6 mission. A beautiful photo shows the contrast between the islands, clouds, shallow water and deep water. Islands of the Bahamas seen are New Providence (upper left) and Eleuthera (right). Northeast Providence Channel is at the upper edge and Exuma Sound is at the lower left with the open Atlantic along the right edge. The wind, from the south, causes a long cloud to develop downwind from Eleuthera Point. Photo credit: NASA
Bahama Islands
This image is a shaded relief mosaic of Umnak Island in Alaska Aleutian Islands acquired by NASA Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar AIRSAR in 2001.
Shaded Relief Mosaic of Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
STS040-75-003 (5-14 June 1991) --- This image shows several of the Canary Islands, located in the North Atlantic Ocean just west of Africa.  Low level stratus clouds often form here (and along the west coast of continents at these latitudes) are trapped in vertical movement due to an overlying atmospheric temperature inversion.  The islands are generating disturbances in the low-level wind flow which is generally from the north-northeast or from top to bottom in the image.  These disturbances travel downstream from the islands and manifest themselves as cloud swirls which are called von Karman vortices.  The northern extent of a large dust storm moving off the coast of Africa is apparent at the lower right of the image.  The dust, extended across the Atlantic Ocean as far west as the Dominican Republic later in the mission.
Canary Island Group and von Karman Cloud Vortices.
Uninhabited Henderson Island is part of the United Kingdom's Pitcairn Islands group in the South Pacific. According to a study by the University of Tasmania published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the island has the highest density of plastic waste anywhere in the world, an estimated 38 million pieces of rubbish. The island is near the center of an ocean current, so it collects rubbish from boats and South America. The image was acquired February 7, 2012, covers an area of 10.3 by 12.3 km, and is located at 24.3 degrees south, 128.3 degrees west.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21691
Henderson Island, South Pacific
The striking views provided by the Bahama Islands lend insights into the important problems of limestone (CaCO3) production and transport. This photograph includes the southern part of Eleuthera Island in the northern Bahamas. The hook-shaped island encloses a relatively shallow platform (light blue) which is surrounded by deep water (dark blue). The feathery pattern along the western edge of Eleuthera's platform are sand bars and sand channels created by tidal currents sweeping on and off the platform. The channels serve to funnel large amounts of CaCO3 off the platform and into the deeper water.
Eleuthera Island, Bahamas seen from STS-66
STS072-732-072 (11-20 Jan. 1996) --- Three of the nineteen Galapagos Islands are visible in this image, photographed from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour.  The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the west of Ecuador.  The largest of the islands, Isabela, is at center (north is toward the upper right corner).  The numerous circular features on the island, highlighted by clouds, are volcanoes.  The Galapagos Islands owe their existence to a hot spot, or persistent heat source in the mantle, which also is located over a rift, or place where plates are separating and new crust is being created.  The rift is located between the Cocos and Nazca Plates.  The dark linear features on the islands are lava flows from past eruptions.  The island to the left of Isabela is Fernandina, while the island to the right is San Salvador.  The Galapagos Islands were visited by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in 1835.
Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands
Lying 3 km off the Llyn peninsula of Wales, the Bardsey Island is known as the Island of 20,000 saints. While today's permanent population numbers only four, the island was once an important religious site, with a 6th century monastery. It is the legendary burial site of King Arthur. Another legend holds that anyone who died on the island would not go to hell. The image was acquired April 4, 2006, covers an area of 6 by 10 km, and is located at 52.7 degrees north, 4.8 degrees west.  http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21182
Bardsey Island, Wales
Tristan da Cunha is both a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic, and the main island. It is the most remote inhabited island group in the world, 2400 km from the nearest inhabited land. Tristan has a population of about 250 inhabitants, and is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. In 1961 the eruption of Queen Mary's Peak forced the evacuation of the entire population for two years. The image was acquired October 7, 2017, and is located at 37.1 degrees south, 12.3 degrees west.   https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22506
Tristan da Cunha Island
Aside from native flora, fauna and the Langley rocket-research complex, there was not much on Wallops Island. Pictured is a 1960 photo of Launch area Number Three, used principally for Scout rocket firings. -- Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (page 73), by James Schultz.
Launch Area #3 for Scout - Wallops Island
This is a picture of Block Island an odd-shaped, dark rock, which may be a meteorite.
Block Island Close-up
St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda are the four main islands front to back of this east-looking view of the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, along the northeast perimeter of the Caribbean Sea.
SRTM Perspective with Landsat Virgin Islands, Carribean
March 23, 2010 - Clouds off the Aleutian Islands  Interesting cloud patterns were visible over the Aleutian Islands in this image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on March 14, 2010. Turbulence, caused by the wind passing over the highest points of the islands, is producing the pronounced eddies that swirl the clouds into a pattern called a vortex &quot;street&quot;. In this image, the clouds have also aligned in parallel rows or streets. Cloud streets form when low-level winds move between and over obstacles causing the clouds to line up into rows (much like streets) that match the direction of the winds. At the point where the clouds first form streets, they're very narrow and well-defined. But as they age, they lose their definition, and begin to spread out and rejoin each other into a larger cloud mass.  The Aleutians are a chain of islands that extend from Alaska toward the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.   For more information related to this image go to:  <a href="http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2010-03-23" rel="nofollow">modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2010-0...</a>   For more information about Goddard Space Flight Center go here:  <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html</a>
Clouds off the Aleutian Islands
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows Prince Patrick Island, which is located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and is the westernmost Elizabeth Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The island is underlain by sedimentary rocks, cut by still-active faults. The streams follow a dendritic drainage system: there are many contributing streams (analogous to the twigs of a tree), which are then joined together into the tributaries of the main river (the branches and the trunk of the tree, respectively). They develop where the river channel follows the slope of the terrain. The image covers an area of 22 by 27 km, was acquired July 2, 2011, and is located at 76.9 degrees north, 118.9 degrees west.   http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19222
Prince Patrick Island, Canada
The Palm Islands are artificial islands in Dubai, United Arab emirates on which major commercial and residential structures are being built. NASA Terra spacecraft acquired this image on November 17 and December 10, 2008.
Palm Islands, Dubai, UAE
This image from NASA EarthKAM is of Sakhalin Island, located just north of Japan and east of the Khabarovski and Primorski Krai of the Russian Far East. With the Kuril Islands, it forms Sakhalin Province.
Sakhalin Island, Russia
This anaglyph, from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, shows Viti Levu, the largest island in the group some 332 islands commonly known as Fiji. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.
SRTM Anaglyph: Fiji Islands
The Belcher Islands are an archipelago in Hudson Bay in Canada, belonging to the territory of Nunavit. The hamlet of Sanikiluaq is on the north coast of Flaherty Island. This image was acquired by NASA Terra satellite on 18 September 2006.
Belcher Islands, Canada
This streamlined island is located within Maja Valles was captured by NASA Mars Odyssey on July 1, 2010.
Streamlined Island
The streamlined islands in this image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft are located in the channel of Marte Vallis.
Streamlined Islands
The streamlined island in this image captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft is located in the channel of Marte Vallis.
Streamlined Island
Situated 1670 km northeast of Sydney, Norfolk Island is an Australian Territory. It was permanently settled in 1856 by Pitcairn Islanders who were descendants of Tahitians and HMS Bounty mutineers. In 1979 Norfolk was granted limited self-government: the island elects a government that runs most of the island's affairs. In March, a local council replaced the local government, and the island was given closer financial ties to Australia. The image was acquired November 12, 2009, covers an area of 9 x 11 km, and is located at 29 degrees south, 168 degrees east.   http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19463
Norfolk Island, Australia
BRIAN BAE, EV41, AND JOHN EARL BROWN, U.S. ARMY,  CONDUCT KENDO DEMONSTRATION AT ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS MONTH CELEBRATION EVENT MAY 31.
ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH
Opportunity Examining Composition of Cook Islands Outcrop
Opportunity Examining Composition of Cook Islands Outcrop
St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda are the four main islands lower left to upper right of this map-view anaglyph of the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands from NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. 3D glasses are necessary.
Anaglyph with Landsat Virgin Islands, Caribbean
Located in the Gulf of California, Smith Island sits just off the eastern shore of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. The 7 kilometers long island is dominated by Volcan Coronado on the northern end. The uninhabited island is a refuge for a rich marine assemblage, including sea lion colonies. The image was acquired September 23, 2023, covers an area of 8.2 by 9.5 km, and is located at 29.1 degrees north, 113.5 degrees west.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26284
Smith Island, Gulf of California
This image from NASA EarthKAM captures the tropical beauty of the major islands of the Little Bahama Bank, the most northerly of the island groups that comprise the Bahamas.
Atlantic maybe Caribbean Sea Ocean and Islands
NASA image acquired June 26, 2010  As of June 27, 2010, the entire gulf-facing beachfront of several barrier islands in eastern Mississippi (offshore of Pascagoula) had received a designation of at least “lightly oiled” by the interagency Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team that is responding to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. A few small stretches of Petit Bois Island had been labeled heavily or moderately oiled.  (To view this image without a description go to:   This high-resolution image shows Petit Bois Island (top right) and the eastern end of Horn Island (top left) on June 26. In general, oil-covered waters are silvery and cleaner waters are blue-gray. This pattern is especially consistent farther from the islands. The intensely bright patches of water directly offshore of the barrier islands, however, may be from a combination of factors, including sediment and organic material, coastal currents and surf, and oil.  The islands provide a sense of scale for the ribbons of oil swirling into the area from the south. Petit Bois Island is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) long. It is one of seven barrier islands that, along with some mainland areas of Mississippi and Florida, make up the Gulf Islands National Seashore. According to the National Park Service Gulf Islands National Seashore Website, all the islands remained open to the public as of June 28, 2010, and clean-up crews were on hand to respond to any oil coming ashore.  The large version of this image, which was captured by the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite, shows a larger area, including the Mississippi Sound and parts of mainland Mississippi. Although oil has been observed in the Sound, it is unlikely that all the bright patches of water in that area are thickly oil-covered. Differences in brightness in coastal area waters may be due to other factors, including freshwater runoff, strong currents, and water depth and clarity.  NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team.   Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.  Instrument:  EO-1 - ALI  To see more images go to: <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">earthobservatory.nasa.gov/</a>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b>  is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Oil Slick Around Mississippi Barrier Islands [detail]
S65-63150 (16 Dec. 1965) --- Eddies in stratocumulus clouds over the Canary Islands as seen from the Gemini-6 spacecraft during its 14th revolution of Earth. Photo credit: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
GEMINI-6 - EARTH-SKY - CANARY ISLANDS - OUTER SPACE
This radar image shows the volcanic island of Reunion, about 700 km 434 miles east of Madagascar in the southwest Indian Ocean. The southern half of the island is dominated by the active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise.
Space Radar Image of Reunion Island
The Thurston Island calving front off of western Antarctica as seen from the window of NASA's DC-8 on Nov. 5, 2014.  Image Credit: NASA/Jim Yungel  NASA’s Operation IceBridge collected some rare images on a flight out of Punta Arenas, Chile on Nov. 5, 2014, on a science flight over western Antarctica dubbed Ferrigno-Alison-Abbott 01.  The crew snapped a few shots of a calving front of the Antarctic ice sheet. This particular flight plan was designed to collect data on changes in ice elevation along the coast near the Ferrigno and Alison ice streams, on the Abbot Ice Shelf, and grounded ice along the Eights Coast.
Thurston Island
Snow is blown off of the Thurston Island calving front off of western Antarctica as seen on the IceBridge flight on Nov. 5, 2014.  Image Credit: NASA/Jim Yungel  NASA’s Operation IceBridge collected some rare images on a flight out of Punta Arenas, Chile on Nov. 5, 2014, on a science flight over western Antarctica dubbed Ferrigno-Alison-Abbott 01.  The crew snapped a few shots of a calving front of the Antarctic ice sheet. This particular flight plan was designed to collect data on changes in ice elevation along the coast near the Ferrigno and Alison ice streams, on the Abbot Ice Shelf, and grounded ice along the Eights Coast.
Thurston Island
This image captured by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a streamlined island in Kasei Valles. The teardrop shape indicates that flow was from the bottom to the top of the image.
Streamlined Island
Chausey is a group of small islands and islets off the coast of Normandy and is part of the French Channel Islands. Chausey bounced back and forth between England and France for 800 years before finally officially belonging to France in the 19th century. The archipelago comprises 365 islands at low tide (2019 image), compared to only 52 islands at high tide (2018 image). The images were acquired July 7, 2018 and September 10, 2019, cover an area of 6.7 by 10.5 km, and are located at 48.9 degrees north, 1.8 degrees west.  With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of about 50 to 300 feet (15 to 90 meters), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on Terra. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products.  The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25800
Chausey, French Channel Islands
This distant view of Mt. Fuji, on the main home island of Honshu, Japan (34.0N, 139.0E) was taken from about 450 miles to the south. Evan at that great distance, the majestic and inspiring Mt. Fuji is still plainly visible and easily recognized as a world renowned symbol of Japan. The snow capped extinct volcano lies just a few miles south of Tokyo.
Distant Mt. Fuji, Island of Honshu Japan
SL4-142-4577 (28 Jan. 1974) --- Two large ice islands in the vicinity of South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, as photographed from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit by one of the Skylab 4 crewmen. The camera used was a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad, with SO-368 medium-speed Ektachrome. One of the ice islands is partially obscured by clouds. Ice islands were observed as large as 45 by 60 kilometers (27 x 37 miles) and as far north as 45 degrees south latitude. The size and distribution of the "small" icebergs (to a ship they would look very large) can be used to study the local winds and currents. Recent research has suggested the possibility of towing such Antarctic icebergs to selected areas and using them as water supplies. One such iceberg would contain many times the water as in Lake Powell. Photo credit: NASA
South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean
Technicians prepare a full-scale capsule which would be used for the first rocket-launching on March 11, 1959. The purpose of the test would be to simulate a ground-level or beach abort. Joseph Shortal wrote (vol. 3, p. 27):  It was a test of the ability of the escape system to rescue the astronaut in case of a malfunction of the launch vehicle prior to flight. This test was carried out by PARD under the direction of W.S. Blanchard, Jr., and was part of the program designated F57 at PARD. For these tests capsule shape C was used.  -- Published in Joseph A. Shortal, History of Wallops Station: Origins and Activities Through 1949, (Wallops Island, VA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Wallops Station, nd), Comment Edition.
Capsule Modes in Assembly Shop Wallops Island
In July 2011, volcanic tremors began on the Island of El Hierro in the Canary Islands; by September, many tourists evacuated the resort island, fearing a volcanic eruption. This image is from NASA Terra spacecraft.
NASA Satellite Tracks Underwater Volcanic Eruption in Canary Islands
This image shows Miquelon and Saint Pierre Islands, located south of Newfoundland, Canada. These islands, along with five smaller islands, are a self-governing territory of France. North is in the top right corner of the image.
3-D Perspective View, Miquelon and Saint Pierre Islands
STS026-038-056 (29 Sept. - 3 Oct. 1988) --- Tambora Caldera, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia as photographed with a 70mm handheld Hasselblad camera. Tambora is a 6-kilometer-wide and 650-meter-deep Caldera formed in 1815 as a result of a huge volcanic eruption.  Gases from the eruption were ejected high into Earth's atmosphere and transported around the globe. The atmospheric gases trapped part of the incoming sunglint, resulting in extremely cold weather. In New England, snow fell in June, and freezes occurred throughout the summer of 1816, which became known as "the year without a summer." This photo was shown by the STS-26 astronaut crew during its Oct. 11, l988 post-flight press conference.
Tambora Caldera, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia
Providencia Island, located in the Caribbean Sea, is part of Colombia even though located 800 km northwest of mainland Colombia. The small island has an area of 17 square kilometers. First settled in 1629 by Puritans on the Seaflower ship, the island was taken by Spain in 1641. Providencia is the center point of the UNESCO Marine Protected Area the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. The image was acquired July 28, 2010, covers an area of 17.4 by 29 km, and is located at 13.3 degrees north, 81.3 degrees west.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24281
Providencia Island, Colombia
Barren Island, a small volcanic island which is part of the Andaman Island group in the Andaman Sea west of Malaysia, began a new eruptive phase late in 1994. The STS-67 crew noticed the volcanic plume early in their flight, and had several opportunities to document the on-going eruption. This view, taken March 14, 1995, shows a healthy volcanic plume rising several thousand feet into the atmosphere. The main plume drifts westward over Andaman Island, although a smaller plume close to the ground is being dispersed to the south.
Barren Island west of Malaysia as seen from STS-67 Endeavour
Red and white vapor clouds filled the skies over the Marshall Islands as part of NASA’s Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX).  The red cloud was formed by the release of lithium vapor and the white tracer clouds were formed by the release of trimethyl aluminum (TMA). These clouds allowed scientists on the ground from various locations in the Marshall Islands to observe the neutral winds in the ionosphere.  Credit: NASA/Jon Grant  --- The Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX) was successfully conducted during the early morning hours (eastern time) May 7 from Roi Namur, Republic of the Marshall Islands.  A NASA Terrier-Oriole sounding rocket was launched at 3:39 a.m. EDT and was followed by a launch of Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket 90 seconds later. Preliminary indications are that both rockets released their vapor clouds of lithium or trimethyl aluminum, which were observed from various locations in the area, and all science instruments on the rockets worked as planned. More information on EVEX can be found at <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/news/evex.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/news/evex.html</a>   These were the second and third rockets of four planned for launch during this year’s campaign in the Marshall Islands. The first and fourth rockets are supporting the Metal Oxide Space Cloud experiment (MOSC), which is studying radio frequency propagation.  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
NASA EVEX Experiment Launches from the Marshall Islands
On September 24, 2013, a major strike-slip earthquake rattled western Pakistan, killing at least 350 people and leaving more than 100,000 homeless. The 7.7 magnitude quake struck the Baluchistan province of northwestern Pakistan. Amidst the destruction, a new island was created offshore in the Paddi Zirr (West Bay) near Gwadar, Pakistan.  On September 26, 2013, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured the top image of that new island, which sits roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) offshore. Likely a “mud volcano,” the island rose from the seafloor near Gwadar on September 24, shortly after the earthquake struck about 380 kilometers (230 miles) inland. The lower image, acquired by the Operational Land Imager on the Landsat 8 satellite, shows the same area on April 17, 2013.  In the satellite images, lighter shades of green and tan in the water reveal shallow seafloor or suspended sediment. The water depth around the new island is roughly 15 to 20 meters (50 to 65 feet), according to marine geologist Asif Inam of Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography. “The floor in that area is generally flat, but the gradient in this area changes quite abruptly,” Inam said. The top image from ALI is also clear enough to show the parallel ripples of waves marching toward the shore.  Read more: <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82146" rel="nofollow">earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82146</a>  NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team.   <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Earthquake Births New Island off Pakistan
This image of Block Island was taken on July 28, 2009, with the front hazard-identification camera on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
Block Island in Sight
STS059-213-019 (9-20 April 1994) --- SRL scientists will use these photographs with the radar imagery to discriminate among different ages of basalt flows, and different ecosystems of shrub communities, on these equatorial volcanic islands.  Aims are twofold: to understand the history of physical and biological systems on the islands themselves, and to extend what is learned to other, less-well-known areas globally.  Hasselblad photograph.
Isabela, Galapagos Islands as seen from STS-59
NASA image acquired August 11, 2010.  After breaking off the Petermann Glacier on August 5, 2010, a massive ice island floated slowly down the fjord toward the Nares Strait. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this false-color image of the ice island on August 11, 2010. In this image, ice is light blue, water is nearly black, and clouds are nearly white. Although a bank of thin clouds hovers over the fjord, the southernmost margin of the ice island is still visible. Toward the north, the leading edge of the ice island retains the same shape it had days earlier, at the time of the initial calving.  NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Michon Scott.  Instrument: Terra - ASTER  To see more images from of the glacier go to: <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/event.php?id=45116" rel="nofollow">earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/event.php?id=45116</a>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b>  is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a><b></b></b>
Ice Island Calves off Petermann Glacier
The voyage of Iceberg B-31 continued in January, 2014 as the giant iceberg drifted over the frigid waters of Pine Island Bay and widened the gap between the newly-calved iceberg and the “mother” glacier.  Between November 9 and 11, 20143 a giant crack in the Pine Island Glacier gave completely away, liberating Iceberg B-31 from the end of the glacial tongue. The new iceberg was estimated to be 35 km by 20 km (21 mi by 12 mi) in size – or roughly the size of Singapore.  On January 5, 2014 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image of B-31 floating in the center of Pine Island Bay on an approach to the Amundsen Sea. Pine Island Glacier can be seen on the upper right coast of the bay, and is marked by parallel lines in the ice. According to measurements reported by the National U.S. Ice Center, on January 10, B-31 was maintaining its size, and was located at 74°24'S and 104°33'W.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Iceberg from Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica
Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, 125 km off the coast of Africa, and is the fourth largest of the archipelago, with an area of 846 square kilometers. Like all of the Canary Islands, its volcanic origin dates to about 15 million years ago. The largest historic eruption occurred in the 1730s. The island was first recorded by Pliny the Elder, though it may have been originally settled by the Phoenicians (Wikipedia). The image was acquired 12 March 2015, covers an area of 50.5 by 55.1 km, and is located near 29 degrees north, 13.6 degrees west.  http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21284
Lanzarote, Canary Islands
In 1667, the Dutch exchanged Run Island (left-most in the image) with the British for Manhattan (renamed from New Amsterdam to New York). Run Island is one of the smallest, and western-most, of the Banda Islands, part of the Malukus, Indonesia. At the time it was the only source of the incredibly valuable spices nutmeg and mace. The image was acquired January 5, 2016, covers an area of 15.7 by 34.8 kilometers, and is located at 4.5 degrees south, 129.7 degrees east.   https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22133
Run Island, Indonesia
Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension  Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.
First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.
Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension  Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.
First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.
Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension  Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.
First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.
Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension  Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.
First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.
Air Force Javelin Rocket on Launcher (USAF JV-1) Wallops Model D4-78 L59-5144 First AFSWC Javelin sounding rocket ready for flight test, July 7, 1959. Photograph published in A New Dimension  Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fifteen Years by Joseph Shortal. A NASA publication. Page 704.
First AFSWC Javelin Sounding Rocket On Launcher at Wallops Island.
Streamlined Island
Streamlined Island
This image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows a streamlined island in a broad channel in Chryse Planitia. The channel is part of the outflow region of Lobo Vallis, a northern branch of Kasei Valles.
Streamlined Island
Two hundred years ago, Ascension Island was a barren volcanic edifice. This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows that today its peaks are covered by lush tropical cloud forest.
Ascension Island
This space radar image shows the rugged topography of Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Barbara and Ventura, Calif.
Space Radar Image of Santa Cruz Island, California
Devon Island is situated in an isolated part of Canada Nunavut Territory, and is usually considered to be the largest uninhabited island in the world. These images were acquired by NASA Terra satellite on June 28, 2001.
Mars Researchers Rendezvous on Remote Arctic Island
The Kuril Islands are a volcanic archipelago, stretching 1300 km from Hokkaido, Japan to Kamchatka, Russia. They are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the result of subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Okhotsk Plate along the Kuril Trench. At the southern end of Onekotan Island is the Tao-Rusyr Caldera stratovolcano, with its 7500 year old caldera lake. The most recent eruption was in 1952. The smaller Kharimkotan Island to the southwest last erupted in 1933. Collapse of this volcano created a horseshoe-shaped crater, and caused a tsunami that killed two people on a near-by island. The image was acquired June 4, 2012; the enlargement covers an area of 17 by 18.5 km, and is located at 49.3 degrees north, 154.7 degrees east.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24020
Tao-Rusyr Volcano, Kuril Islands