Celebrate the Earth: 10 Stunning Photos Of Nature + Humans

A view of the southern lights between Antarctica and Australia captured by Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers on board the International Space Station on March 3, 2012. (ESA/NASA via AFP/Getty Images)

Earth Day was yesterday. And it wasn’t just about wearing tie-dyed shirts made of hemp and talking about recycling. It was and always will ALSO be about ruminating on how much cool, beautiful, amazing shiznit there is on this planet. The kind of stuff that makes you want to stop and take a picture because it’s so freaking gorgeous. Using the image tabs abvoe, scroll through 9 stunning photos of the Earth…some illustrating good and beauty. Others illustrating the horror.

And please consider this: as a community of photographers, let’s strive to continue to photograph the Earth in her grandeur throughout the year and beyond April 22nd. Have some epic Earth photos to share? Feel free to post a link below. Many thank yous, #MuchRespect.

Boston.com’s The Big Picture recently rounded up some of the most incredible shots on Earth, of Earth, and about Earth. I just plucked some of my favorites from their gallery–but you really should look at the whole thing, and think about how awesome the planet is. No Birkenstocks required, I promise.