Polar exploration pictures through the ages
www.freezeframe.ac.uk

This website contains an archive of pictures taken on polar research expeditions over the years since 1845. The website has been compiled and is hosted by the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge and contains images of both Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Many aspects of polar life are represented, including work, travel and recreation, thus allowing website patrons to “discover the polar regions through the eyes of those explorers and scientists who dared to go into the last great wildernesses on earth.”

High-resolution satellite images of Earth
www.geoeye.com

Geoeye own some of the most powerful imaging satellites in orbit around Earth today. These satellites are known as the IKONOS platforms, the most powerful of which can take photos of our planet’s surface at a resolution of only 50cm per pixel. Geoeye’s website contains an extensive gallery section which holds satellite images showing many features of interest. These vary from cities and landscape features to objects in the media and the damage caused by natural disasters. The pictures, as well as being visually stunning, offer the chance to view the planet and the world of mankind from a fascinating and in some cases enlightening new perspective.

High-resolution satellite images of Mars
hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/

This website contains an extensive archive of pictures detailing the surface of Mars. These pictures, which show the Martian surface at a scale of less than 1 metre per pixel, were taken by the HiRISE camera (HiRISE stands for ‘High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment’ camera) which is mounted on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite. The images are astounding, showing alien landscapes at a level of detail which I find both inspiring and frustrating. It is a strange experience to look at such amazing pictures of another planet and know that it is so far away and that you will probably never go there.

The website is operated by the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory within the University of Arizona, USA. The goal of the laboratory is to understand and teach people about our planetary system.