From volcanic eruptions to Queen’s funeral: The best satellite images of 2022 revealed

Photos of some of 2022 most memorable moments on Earth taken from space have provided some of this year’s most dramatic images.

US-based Maxar, whose history can be traced back to the 1950s, has more than 90 satellites in orbit that provide communications, imagery and data.

With the outbreak of the Ukraine war, some of these photos have been more powerful than ever.

Here are 22 of the best of 2022:

1. The world’s largest active volcano erupted last month for the first time in nearly 40 years, prompting warnings to the island’s 200,000 residents that they might have to flee their homes.

The Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii sent out molten lava, ash and gas for nearly three weeks. It set nerves on edge among people on Hawaii who have lived through previous destructive eruptions. Historically, it has erupted every five-and-a-half years on average.

2. Hurricane Ian, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the US mainland, cut a swath of destruction across Florida and the Carolinas. Around 100 people are thought to have been killed as it downed trees, blew off roofs and shredded property, leaving thousands homeless. It also flooded areas and destroyed buildings and businesses.

3. The International Space Station was forced to move out of the way of potentially lethal Russian debris. The fragments came from an old satellite destroyed in a Russian weapons test in November last year, pieces of which have since been flying above the Earth, repeatedly putting missions at risk, Nasa said.

4. A Christmas tree and nativity scene pictured in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City

5. A key bridge connecting Crimea and Russia was hit by an explosion that killed three people, according to Russian authorities. The blast left the Kerch Bridge engulfed in plumes of smoke and flames. Russia later arrested eight people.

6. Russian forces dropped a bomb on a theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine, where more than 1,000 civilians, including women and children, were sheltering. The building even had the Russian word for children on the pavement outside.

7. Vehicles queuing to cross the border from Pakistan into Iran. The Islamic republic emerged as a trade route to cut transport times between Europe, western Asia and the Middle East.

8. A traffic jam of about 10 miles was seen from space as Russians fled their country heading to Georgia after Vladimir Putin conscripted men to fight in Ukraine.

9. Crowds of mourners began to gather outside Buckingham Palace, central London, on the day of the late Queen’s funeral in September. It was one of the largest ever public events the Metropolitan Police had ever faced.

10. Huge queues of cars stretched for miles as they lined up to leave the Burning Man festival in Nevada, US – the first after three years of Covid delays.

11, Russian military equipment captured – and some of it destroyed – was put on display on Ukrainian Independence Day in August. The show effectively became a mockery of Vladimir Putin.

12. A military arms show in Kubinka, Russia, in August, included a SU-57 stealth fighter.

13. A tower that will be used to launch – and catch – a Mars-bound Starship rocket by SpaceX, at its Starbase centre in Texas.

14. A baseball stadium in Washington DC where spectators gathered for a Washington Nationals vs Miami Martins match.

15. Russian troops seized the remote Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a largely uninhabited but strategically important strip of land in the Black Sea, on the first day of their invasion of Ukraine. Border guards defending it were praised for their bravery in standing their ground. The Russian forces later withdrew.

16. A DC-10 air tanker dropping slurry to dampen wildfires east of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

17. Pyongyang pictured at night in April as preparations were made for celebrations of the anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il Sung.

18. Bodies lay in the street in Ukraine’s Bucha where Russian troops pulled back. Mass graves of civilians were also found in the city, near Kyiv.

19. Airborne combat vehicles seen in a military convoy approaching Kyiv, on 28 February, four days after Russia’s invasion.

20. Lava filled a crater at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii.

21 The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, on 4 February.

22. Before and after the main eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano in the southern Pacific Ocean.