Earth from Space is a set of 20 posters that features images and text from the popular museum exhibition of the same name. A collaboration with geographer and curator Andrew Johnston at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, the traveling exhibit won a 2007 U.S. Geological Survey communications award for science content.

The poster exhibit presents large color reproductions of images captured by high-tech satellites constantly circling the globe, recording conditions and events that are nearly impossible to document on the planet’s surface.

Rare views of events such as dust storms, forest fires, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes are accompanied by text that explains how satellite imagery is gathered and used to explore the Earth. Documenting environmental cycles, natural disasters, and man-made ecological effects, satellite images provide clues about the dynamic nature of our planet and offer rich opportunities to engage students in a wide range of science curricula including geography, environmental studies, ecology, oceanography, and meteorology.