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Incredible NASA Photos of Other Planets

Incredible NASA Photos of Other Planets

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Perhaps the most commonly reproduced photograph in human history is known as “The Blue Marble Shot.” The famous photo, taken from the Saturn V Rocket in 1972, was the first and only photo taken by a person that showed Earth in its entirety. (Can you answer these real “Jeopardy!” clues about planet Earth?)

Humans have long been fascinated by the night sky, gazing out onto stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. It is only recently that technology has allowed us to get a closer look at what is happening in the rest of our solar system. Innovations from NASA have allowed us to see, in great detail, the rings around Saturn, the swirling red storms covering Jupiter, and the fantastic mountains and craters of Mars, among other things.

24/7 Tempo reviewed the NASA image library to compile a collection of incredible photos of other planets and their moons. Many of these photos are dazzling in their otherworldly beauty. Natural phenomena on other planets like the acid clouds of Venus or polar storms on Saturn are completely unlike anything found on Earth.

Beyond their beauty, these photos also contain important pieces of information for scientists about the solar system. For instance, images of Mars have given researchers clues about the Red Planet’s geological past and potential water features, and, most importantly, about the possibility that it could sustain life. (Here’s why scientists think there is life on other planets.)

Source: Courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

1. Lowlands in Mercury’s north
> Planet: Mercury

A perspective view, looking towards Mercury’s north and colorized by the topographic height of the surface.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

2. Cat’s Eye crater
> Planet: Mercury

The Eminescu crater on Mercury is illuminated by a bright halo of material around its edge.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

3. The crater Apollodorus
> Planet: Mercury

The photograph of this crater, nicknamed “the spider,” was one of the most striking images captured by the Messenger satellite.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

4. The bright rays of Mena
> Planet: Mercury

The young rays of Mena crater contrast brightly against the surrounding surface.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

5. Mercury’s Caloris Basin
> Planet: Mercury

This mosaic of Caloris basin is an enhanced-color composite overlaid on a monochrome mosaic.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

6. Approaching Jupiter
> Planet: Jupiter

A view of Jupiter’s south pole.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/GSFC

7. Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s atmosphere
> Planet: Jupiter

Auroras – stunning light shows in a planet’s atmosphere – appear on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter.

Source: Courtesy of NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)

8. Hubble’s new portrait of Jupiter
> Planet: Jupiter

A Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet’s trademark Great Red Spot.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

9. Io’s Pele Hemisphere after Pillan changes
> Planet: Jupiter

A view of Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system, showing the red ring around the volcano Pele after dramatic changes in the area around Pillan Patera, another volcanic center.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/DLR

10. Global Callisto in color
> Planet: Jupiter

The many craters on Jupiter’s moon Callisto

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JHUAPL.

11. Jupiter and Io
> Planet: Jupiter

An infrared color composite of Jupiter and its moon Io.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

12. Io in front of Jupiter
> Planet: Jupiter

This image shows the size of Jupiter compared to its moon Io.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

13. Views of Venus from Mariner 10
> Planet: Venus

Venus is wrapped in a dense global cloud layer.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

14. Margaret Mead Crater on Venus
> Planet: Venus

This image shows one of the largest impact craters known to exist on Venus.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/Scott Kelly

15. Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Earth lineup
> Planet: Venus

Three planets and our moon line up in a view from the International Space Station.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

16. Venus cloud patterns
> Planet: Venus

This 1996 photo of Venus has been colorized to a bluish hue in order to emphasize the subtle contrasts in the cloud markings.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

17. A picture postcard from Curiosity’s navcams
> Planet: Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas of this scene twice a day.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/UArizona

18. Sandstone in West Candor Chasma
> Planet: Mars

Candor Chasma in central Valles Marineris on Mars

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

19. Clouds and dust storms on Mars
> Planet: Mars

Clouds of dust cover Mars.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

20. Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars
> Planet: Mars

A compilation of images captured by the Viking Orbiter 1.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

21. South Pole spiders
> Planet: Mars

These cracks in the surface of the southern polar region on Mars resemble spiders.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

22. Crisp Crater in Sirenum Fossae
> Planet: Mars

An impact crater on the surface of Mars.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

23. Dunes in Nectaris Montes
> Planet: Mars

Sand dunes on the slopes of Nectaris Montes within Coprates Chasma.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

24. Dry ice on Mars
> Planet: Mars

On Mars the seasonal polar caps are composed of dry ice. This image shows eroded channels filled with bright ice.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/ESA/University of Arizona

25. First color view of Titan’s surface
> Planet: Saturn

This 2005 photo from the European Space Agency was the first from Saturn’s moon Titan.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

26. Veiled worlds
> Planet: Saturn

The moon of Titan passes in front of Saturn.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

27. Saturn Taken from Voyager 2
> Planet: Saturn

An image of Saturn from 1981

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

28. Triple pPlay
> Planet: Saturn

The moons Enceladus, Rhea, and Atlas pass around Saturn’s rings.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

29. Surge in the ring
> Planet: Saturn

The rings around Saturn appear brighter amid a phenomenon called an “opposition surge”.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

30. Fire and ice
> Planet: Saturn

Saturn’s largest and second-largest moons, Titan and Rhea, appear to be stacked on top of each other.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

31. Sextet of moons
> Planet: Saturn

Six of Saturn’s moons orbit around the rings.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

32. Many colors, many moons
> Planet: Saturn

A color photo of Saturn shows four moons.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS

33. Liquid gas lakes on Titan
> Planet: Saturn

The Cassini satellite found evidence of lakes of liquid methane on Saturn’s moon Titan.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

34. Neptune full disk view
> Planet: Neptune

A full view of Neptune.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

35. Neptune Clouds Showing Vertical Relief
> Planet: Neptune

These Voyager 2 images show vertical relief in bright cloud streaks.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

36. Crescents of Neptune and Triton
> Planet: Neptune

An image of Neptune and its moon Triton.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

37. Detail of Triton’s surface
> Planet: Neptune

A color photo of Neptune’s large satellite Triton from 1989.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

38. Neptune
> Planet: Neptune

A Voyager 2 view of Neptune.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

39. Neptune’s Rings
> Planet: Neptune

This 1999 image was the first to show Neptune’s rings.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS

40. Hubble finds many bright clouds on Uranus
> Planet: Uranus

Uranus is surrounded by its four major rings and by 10 of its 17 known satellites.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/STScI

41. Rings of Uranus
> Planet: Uranus

This Voyager 2 image shows the Uranian rings Delta, Gamma, Eta, Beta and Alpha.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

42. Uranus as seen by NASA’s Voyager 2
> Planet: Uranus

An image of Uranus taken by Voyager 2 from approximately 7.8 million miles.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

43. Uranus
> Planet: Uranus

An image of Uranus shaded by the sun.

Source: Courtesy of NASA/JPL

44. Uranus Rings in False Color
> Planet: Uranus

Six 15-second narrow-angle images were used to extract color information from the extremely dark and faint rings around Uranus.

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