As a special tribute for Valentine’s Day, our Earthzine team has compiled images of the Earth we love. The following is a roundup of the beauty we don’t get to see every day.

Earth as Art Collection

First up are a few images from the Earth as Art collection, some of the best satellite images of the Earth you’ll find. From afar, these images almost appear to be paintings.

This image is of the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia. The large sand dunes appear as lines, and the light-colored fan shapes are scars from past wildfires.

Great Sandy Scars from the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. Image Credit: Earth as Art.

Next, beautiful lines and colors are shown from Namibia’s Ugab River. The river only flows above ground for a few days each year.

Ugab River. Image Credit: Earth as Art.

There’s also this great image of the snow-capped peaks and ridges from the Himalaya Mountains in Southwestern China.

Himalayas, Southwestern China. Image Credit: Earth as Art.

This image of wadis is found in the arid landscape of Southeastern Jordan. The blues here are unforgettable.

Jordan. Image Credit: Earth as Art.

This photo of The Mississippi Delta shows the river spitting out like veins in a mix of bright green and blue.

Mississippi Delta. Image Credit: Earth as Art.

Collecting DataåÊ

Not all images of the Earth need to be artistic. This image below is a favorite of ours, too, showing the Argo network of floating Earth observation monitors. A small group of oceanographers outlined a plan to set up the monitors in 1999, calling the program Argo. Over the years, through international collaboration, information was gathered from thousands of these monitors. The image below celebrates Argo’s 1 millionth observation.

Argo collects its one millionth observation. Image Credit: The Global Ocean Observing System.

Mary Edna Fraser’s Art

The Earthzine team is also a fan of Mary Edna Fraser’s work. Her paintings show the Earth in ways the camera or satellite can’t capture, and often also address the effects of global climate change.

Below are a few highlights of her work, made as monotypes on paper.

Sinous, from the “What Water Gives Me Collection.” Image Credit: Mary Edna Fraser.

Rain Hits the Marsh, from the “What Water Gives Me” collection. Image Credit: Mary Edna Fraser.

Water Garden, from the “What Water Gives Me” collection. Image Credit: Mary Edna Fraser.

EarthRise

Finally, an image of Earth’s disc from space.åÊ It’s one of our favorites, a fragile egg harboring embryonic life ready to burst forth into the cosmic family.

Earthrise. Image Credit: NASA

What images do you love? Share with us below.