Here Are NASA's Top 5 Most Beautiful Satellite Photos of Earth

Earlier this week, NASA's Landsat program celebrated is 40th anniversary, putting together then-and-now images to show how natural and man-made factors have changed the shape of Earth's landscape.

(Related: 'Most Historically Significant Images of Earth': Satellite Images Show 40 Years of Natural and Man-Made Change)

In addition, NASA released its top 5 "Earth as Art" winners. Out of 120 images in its online collection, the agency received 14,000 votes for the best of the best.

Flip through this slide show with captions by NASA's Ellen Gray:

According to NASA, the Earth as Art series was created by the U.S. Geological Survey, which colored images with a digital palate, "[demonstrating] an artistic resonance in satellite land imagery and [providing] a special avenue of insight about the geography of each scene.

Watch the video countdown of the winners with even more descriptive information about them:

(H/T: Gizmodo)