Karis, a one month old lion cub being weighed at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, Scotland, Thursday October 10, 2013. Weighing in at 5kg, the cub will stay with her mother, Teekay until she is 12 weeks old before they are returned to the pride. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/AP Photo/PA Wire)

These stunning photographs may look like alien planets, but they are actually satellite images of planet Earth. Commercial satellite company DigitalGlobe recently released the images as a way of highlighting the incredible detail of their imagery – the highest-resolution commercial satellite imagery in the world. Some of the images – taken above Afghanistan, Algeria, Peru, Russia and the United States – look more like abstract works by Mondrian than segments of the globe. DigitalGlobe, based in Westminster, Colo., launched its first satellite in 1999 and currently has four in operation. Here: Trementina, New Mexico. (Photo by DigitalGlobe/Caters News)

Flowers are placed on a “comfort woman” statue during the weekly Wednesday protest in front of Japanese embassy demanding for an apology and compensation from Japanese government in Seoul, South Korea, July 22, 2015. “Comfort women” is the Japanese euphemism for women who were forced into prostitution and sexually abused at Japanese military brothels before and during World War Two. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

A man checks his mobile phone near overturned shipping containers after explosions hit the Binhai new district, Tianjin, August 13, 2015. A huge explosion hit an industrial area in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin late on Wednesday evening, triggering a blast wave felt several kilometres away and injuring at least 50 people, domestic media reported. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A woman in a USA sash, who would help show U.S. President Barack Obama to his seat, waits with other women in traditional dress for the start of the ASEAN Summit gala dinner in Vientiane, Laos September 7, 2016. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Festival-goers take a bath in a mud pool during the 20th Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon beach in Boryeong City, some 190 kilometers west of Seoul, South Korea, 22 July 2017. Tourists flock to the area to experience the beneficial properties of the Boryeong mud, as well as for a variety of entertainment events. The festival runs from 21 until 30 July. (Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA/EFE)

A one month old Turquoise colored Green Veiled Chameleon perches on a finger in the Cardin's Chameleons boothat Repticon 2014 Sunday, August 3, 2014 in Jacksonville, Fla. The vendor specializes in captive bred and born Veiled Chameleons and this particular specimen cost $40.00. The Repticon reptile and Exotic Animal show made its stop in Jacksonville over Saturday and Sunday offering a variety of cold blooded critters and related supplies for sale at the University Center on the University of North Florida campus. The show, which travels nationally stops in Jacksonville several times a year according to event vendor team leader Patty Healey. (Photo by Bob Self/AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union)

Now celebrating its 40th year, Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum to recognize proficiency and photographic excellence of photography taken under the microscope. To select the winners, competition judges analyzed entries from all over the world covering subjects ranging from chemical compounds to up-close-and-personal looks at biological specimens. The 2014 winners will be revealed on October 30th. In 2014, the competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. (Photo by Dr. Igor Robert Siwanowicz/Nikon Small World 2014)