Enjoy Earth day with these stunning images

With Earth Month in full swing and Earth Day fast approaching on April 22, what better way to reflect on our planet than with images of Earth from orbit. To create a collection of 2012’s best, NASA wove together images from different satellites and the International Space Station.

The collection includes true-color satellite images, Earth science visualizations, and time lapses from the International Space Station – and some stunning shots of city lights at night, sand dunes, and glaciers. For eye-catching visualizations of winds during Hurricane Sandy, changing sea surface temperatures, and ocean currents, scroll to around 1:22 minutes into the video.

- Amber Harmon