(Terra)-fying Tales

Happy Halloween 2023, from the Terra mission! Enjoy this ‘spooky’ set of (Terra)-fying imagery that highlights some of Earth’s strangest costumes (as well as past NASA Earth Observatory images featuring Terra!)

  1. Frightening Foliage: The bright colors of Fall in New England (USA) take center stage in this October imagery from 2015. For more information, view “Fall Color Arrives in the U.S. and Canada” (linked here).
  2. Spirit Trails: Terra imagery illuminates what are thought to be walking trails once used for religious ceremonies by the ancient Nazca people. Check out the Earth Observatory series on Nazca lines in Peru (linked here).
  3. Paranormal Plankton: Terra captured this eerie swirling eddy of blooming phytoplankton off the coast of South Africa (learn more in “The Eddy and the Plankton” article, linked here!).
  4. Spooky Sunglint: A dark spirit-like intrusion breaks into the bright glint of reflected sunlight off the coast of Oman, in an optical illusion caused by the less-reflective current of turbulent waters. (Featured in both Earth Observatory and a major news outlet, both linked here.)
  5. Ancient Graveyards: From above, Terra views what appear to be emerald key holes, but that are actually massive ancient burial sites in Japan! For more information on these incredible tombs, check out “A Burial Site Fit for an Emperor,” linked here.
  6. Creepy Clouds: These ghastly clouds over Australia offer a real modern-day mystery in how they were formed! (But similar events have been caused by atmospheric gravity waves — read more in “Curious Waves of Clouds Across Australia,” linked here!)