Courtesy of NASA’s Earth Observatory, here’s a look back at twenty of the most striking images of our home planet as seen from orbit in 2012.

Click through for captions and more images.

NASA on Tumblr

NASA on Tumblr, http://n-a-s-a.tumblr.com/

‘The Astronaut’, for the NASA Space Craft contest, Black Birds on a Wire, Shoes on a Wire, Hippo Factory, Ghost Factory, The Direction of Happiness, Cat in the Clouds, Mystery Tiger Question Mark, Pink Tiger Exclamation Point, Underwater Scene Loch Ness Monster and more ceramic sculptures by PearsonMaron