"10 Years Of Gorgeous Images Of Earth From Space"

That's the title of an article at Wired last weekend.

Ten years ago on March 1, the European Space Agency launched an 8-ton satellite called Envisat that would deliver back to Earth some of the most beautiful images of our planet taken from space.

The Hawaiian Islands

Since then, Envisat has orbited Earth more than 50,000 times and has lived twice as long as planned.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef

The satellite has more than seven instruments on board that can use radar to see through clouds, capture ocean color and land cover, monitor the ozone layer and atmospheric pollutants, measure thermal-infrared radiation, and register surface topography.

There are many more photographs at the link (click 'View All' at the bottom of the linked article to load them all). All images can be downloaded in high-resolution format for use as desktop backgrounds or wallpaper. They make fascinating viewing. Highly recommended.

Peter