PIX4658725: Egypt, Lake Nasser - Egypt, Lake Nasser - Lake Nasser seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis in September 2000. Lake Nasser seen from space shuttle Atlantis in september 2000 / Bridgeman Images

FLO4658817: Boat-billed heron, Cochlearius cochlearius (crested boatbill or cinereous boatbill, Cancroma cochlearia). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1824., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4658825: Horned screamer, Anhima cornuta (Palamedea cornuta). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1824., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4658851: Crab plover, Dromas ardeola (Abyssinian erody, Ardea pondiceriana). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1824., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4658859: Egypt - Abu Simbel - Egypt - Abu Simbel - The Temple of Ramses II in Abu Simbel. The great temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel / Bridgeman Images

PIX4658993: Desert of Libya seen by Envisat 11 - 2004 - Libyan dunes fields seen by Envisat. - The desert of Libya observed by ENVISAT satellite on November 24, 2004. The image covers an area 672 km wide and shows the two huge dune fields located south-west of Libya in the Fezzan Desert. At the top of the picture, the Ubari erg (or Awbari) appears reddish. In the middle, Murzuk erg. This Envisat image shows two huge sand dune seas in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya, close to the border with Algeria. Most of the face of the Sahara desert stretching across Northern Africa is bare stone and pebbles rather than sand dunes, but there are exceptions - sprawling seas of multi - storey sand dunes known as 'ergs'. The Erg Ubari (also called Awbari) is the reddish sand sea towards the top of the image. A dark outcrop of Nubian sandstone separates the Erg Ubari sand from the Erg Murzuq (also called Murzuk) further south. A persistent high - pressure zone centred over Libya keeps the heart of the Sahara completely arid for years at a time, but research has discovered evidence of 'paleolakes' in this region associated with a wetter and more fertile past. Libya today has no permanent rivers or water bodies, but has various vast fossil aquifers. These natural underground basins hold enormous amounts of fresh water. Two decades ago an ambitious project called Great Man - Made River was begun, aimed at drawing water from the aquifers beneath the Fezzan region shown in the image, via a network of underground pipes for irrigation in the coastal belt. Upon completion the huge network of pipelines will extend to about 3,380 km. Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), working in Full Resolution mode to provide a spatial resolution of 300 metres, acquired this image on 24 November 2004. It has a width of 672 kilometres / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659006: Madagascar seen by the ENVISAT satellite - Madagascar seen from ENVISAT satellite - Madagascar seen by the ENVISAT satellite on 25 September 2006. Madagascar seen from ENVISAT satellite on 25 September 2006. The Republic of Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of Africa, close to Mozambique. The main island is the fourth largest island in the world / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659110: King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, juvenile (Woolly penguin). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1824., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659168: Black-headed bulbul, Pycnonotus atriceps (Black-headed shrike, Lanius melanocephalus). Native of Hawaii according to Latham, Australia according to Shaw. Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

LRI4659242: Etruscan art: funerary urn shaped canopy, late 8th century BC. From the Bisenzio region site, Italy. Rome, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia, Etruscan, (8th century BC) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659245: Kalahari Desert - South Africa - 10/1984 - The Kalahari Desert seen by the shuttle STS41G in October 1984 / Bridgeman Images

LRI4659330: Etruscan antiquite: detail of a kylix representing Poseidon and Amphitrite. From Falerii Veteres (Civita Castellana) 6th century BC. Rome, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia, Etruscan, (6th century BC) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659391: Aorounga crateres - Chad - seen by radar 03/96 - Aorounga crateres, possible impact crateres, observed by radar on 20/03/1996 / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659117: Greater racket-tailed drongo, Dicrurus paradiseus (Malabar shrike, Lanius malabaricus). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659178: Sand tempete on the islands of Cape Verde - Dust storm over the Cape Verde islands - Sand tempete on the islands of Cape Verde observed on 22 June 2009 by the Terra satellite. The borders are added. Two dust plumes blow toward the southwest, one plume stretching possibly 150 kilometers (95 miles) off the coast, and the other plume forming an arc that reaches all the way to Cape Verde. Although this image shows dust immediately off the coast of West Africa, a layer of dust from storms such as this often travels virtually intact to the other side of the Atlantic. This layer of dry, hot, dusty air is called the Saharan Air Layer. Terra satellite took this natural - color picture on June 22, 2009. Borders have been added / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659187: Red shining-parrot, Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis (Tabuan parrot, Psittacus tabuensis). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659240: Blythh's or Papuan hornbill, Rhyticeros plicatus (Wreathed hornbill, Buceros plicatus). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659268: Irrigation on the Orange River - Irrigation along the Orange River. Orange marks the border between South Africa and Namibia. Image obtained by satellite EO-1 on 15 February 2010. The Orange River serves as part of the border between Namibia and the Republic of South Africa. Along the banks of this river, roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) inland from where the river empties into the Atlantic Ocean, irrigation projects take advantage of water from the river and soils from the floodplains to grow produce, turning parts of a normally earth - toned landscape emerald green. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Nasa's Earth Observing - 1 (EO - 1) satellite captured this true - color image on February 15, 2010. A network of bright rectangles of varying shades of green contrasts with surroundings of gray, beige, tan, and rust / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659287: Daurian jackdaw, Corvus dauuricus (White-breasted crow, Corvus dauricus). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659339: Boat-tailed grackle, Quiscalus major (Boat-tailed grakle, Gracula barita). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659427: Red-faced malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus. Vulnerable. (Red-headed malkoha, Cuculus pyrrhocephalus.) Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659087: Giant petrel, Macronectes giganteus (as Precellaria gigantea, error for Procellaria gigantea). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1824., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659106: Richat Structure - Mauritania - Richat structure seen from space - Richat structure, geological formation of volcanic origin, in Mauritania, observed from the International Space Station (ISS) in February 2009. The so-called Richat Structure is a geological formation in the Maur Adrar Desert in the African country of Mauritania. Although it resemble an impact crater, the Richat Structure formed when a volcanic dome hardened and gradually eroded, exposing the onion - like layers of rock. Image taken from the International space station (ISS) in February 2009 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659139: Namibia view by shuttle 03/02 - Namibia and reflection on the Atlantic seen by shuttle STS - 109 observed on 03/03/2002 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659170: Namibia - Tropic of Capricorn / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659196: Red-tailed black cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii (Banksian cockatoo, Psittacus banksii). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659211: Island of Reunion seen from Space Shuttle Discovery on 25 December 1999. - Island of Reunion seen from Space Shuttle Discovery on 25 December 1999 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659236: Le Piton de la Fournaise, Ile de la Reunion - Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion island - Le Piton de la Fournaise seen by satellite EO - 1 on 16 January 2009. This shield volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Considered one of the world's most active volcanoes, Piton de la Fournaise occupies the east - southeastern end of Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is a shield volcano with a low, broad shape that resemble an ancient warrior shield. The volcano sports an 8 - kilometer - (5 - mile -) wide crater that slopes eastward to the coast. Within that crater sits a lava shield, Dolomieu, and most of Piton de la Fournaise's historic eruptions have occurred from the summit or flanks of Dolomieu. The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on Nasa's Earth Observing - 1 satellite captured this image of Piton de la Fournaise on January 16, 2009. Dolomieu is the circular feature at the center of the large crater. Lava flows from earlier eruptions have left their marks around Dolomieu, in the form of dark rivulets of rock that head mostly eastward towards the shore. On the west side of Dolomieu, few dark rivers of rock appear, as most lava flows have curved towards the north or south. Little vegetation thrives near Dolomieu, but farther away from the lava shield, vegetation appears bright green / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659239: Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus (Undulated parrot, Psittacus undulatus). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659259: Spot-billed toucanet, Selenidera maculirostris, female. Janeiro toucan. Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659279: Sishen Mine - South Africa - Sishen Mine - Republic South Africa - The Sishen Iron Mine in South Africa seen from the International Space Station (ISS) on March 23, 2016. Sishen mine, seen from the international space station on March 23 2016. The Sishen mine is a large iron mine located in central South Africa in Kathu, Northern Cape. Sishen represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in South Africa and in the world / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659389: The Kilimanjaro seen by Landsat 7 02/2000 - The Kilimanjaro, to the right of the image, partly surrounds Kenya and Tanzania, Africa. The plains of Amboseli National Park to the north and Arusha National Park to the south and west are visible. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4659395: Lake Chad seen by shuttle 12/93 - Lake Chad seen by shuttle STS - 61 on 03/12/1993 / Bridgeman Images

FLO4659406: Blue-throated or mountain barbet, Psilopogon asiaticus. (Blue-cheeked barbet, Trogon asiaticus). Handcoloured copperplate drawn and engraved by John Latham from his own A General History of Birds, Winchester, 1822., Latham, John (1740-1837) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4652901: Indian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, and horns of a critically endangered black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Jakob-Andreas Eisemann after an illustration from nature by Johann Christoph Keller from Georg Wolfgang Knorr's Deliciae Naturae Selectae of Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden der Natuur, Blusse and Son, Nuremberg, 1771. Specimens from a Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities owned by Dr. Christoph Jacob Trew in Nuremberg. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4652988: Milky Way above Cerro Armazones - Star sky at the top of Cerro Armazones. This 3060-metre mountain in Chile will host the giant telescope E - ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope). The construction of this 42-metre telescope is expected to start at the end of 2010 and will be inaugurated around 2018. Its main mirror will consist of 906 hexagonal mirrors assembled together, and its total surface will be equal to that of a football field. On 26 April 2010, the ESO Council selected Cerro Armazones as the baseline site for the planned 42 - metre European Extremely Large Telescope (E - ELT). Cerro Armazones is a mountain at an altitude of 3060 metres in the central part of Child's Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometres south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometres from Cerro Paranal, home of Eso's Very Large Telescope / Bridgeman Images