A member of Viradouro samba school performs during the first night of Rio's Carnival parade at the Sambadrome Marques de Sapucai in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 22, 2022. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

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)

Peruvian surfer Carlos “Huevito” Areola rides a reed board, or “caballito” (little horse), into a wave at Sydney's Bondi Beach, February 24, 2016. Areola is part of a group of Peruvian surfers touring Australia’s east coast to promote the use of the “caballito”. The “caballito” is thought to have been invented around 3,000 BC in northern Peru. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

“Titanoboa is a genus of snake that lived approximately 58–60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event. The only known species is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Leah Del Rio views a replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa, the largest snake to ever live, on display at Grand Central Terminal on March 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Reflection in a mirror of a general view of the peloton competing prior to the 112th Tour de France 2025, Stage 10 a 165.3km stage from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy (Super Sancy) 1318m / #UCIWT / on July 14, 2025 in Ennezat, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

A reveller takes part in an annual block party known as “Cordao de Prata Preta”, one of the many carnival parties to take place in the neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro, February 6, 2016. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

People dressed in period costumes take part in the “Fetes Galantes” fancy dress evening at the “galerie des glaces” in the Chateau de Versailles, France on May 27, 2019. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP Photo)

Alphajet aircraft draw a heart-shaped message in the sky during the 2010 presentation show of the French aerobatics team Patrouille de France, over the French city of Salon-de-Provence. (Photo by Gerard Julien/AFP Photo)