The Earth Observatory is a website run by NASA's Earth Observing System Project Science Office (EOSPSO). Bringing together imagery from many different satellites and astronaut missions, the website publishes fantastic images with highly detailed descriptions, feature articles and more. Gathered here are some standout photographs from the collections in the Earth Observatory over the past several years. For more images and information, please visit the Earth Observatory site itself.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of a dust storm as it swirled over China in April of 2001.

The Bear Glacier on the Kenai Peninsula along the Gulf of Alaska

South of Khartoum, Sudan, where the White and Blue Nile Rivers join

Tibet

Two cyclones are seen, after forming in tandem

The Arabian Peninsula's Empty Quarter, known as Rub' al Khali, is the world's largest sand sea