It’s probably a given that any photo from the International Space Station, however mundane, looks pretty spectacular. This picture, snapped from the space station late last month, is no different. Just past the dark blue solar panel is the snaking, glowing tendrils of Moscow, with dawn rapidly approaching the city and a slim, distant aurora. Just a quick look at a city unfamiliar to most of our readers, from the best seat in the house.

This incredible photo was snapped from the International Space Station last week when the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Eduardo Amaldi docked with the orbiting outpost. The ATV can be seen in the background, with its four solar panels extended and illuminated by the spacecraft’s thrusters. Below, the eerie glow of the Earth’s atmosphere and smeared city lights provide an astounding backdrop. Just a quick reminder that everything is cooler in space.

Late last month, the International Space Station passed over the Gulf of Mexico and traveled along the east coast of the United States. All the while the crew of Expedition 30 left a camera running, capturing the familiar shape of the U.S. illuminated by city lights at night. Several major cities are visible – New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. However, the midwesterner in me couldn’t help but look up toward the Great Lakes and spot Chicago and Detroit. Even better, it ends with the Aurora Borealis over Newfoundland.

For those of us observing at a distance, the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last year seemed like a singular, horrible event. However, this visualization created by StoryMonoroch shows that it was, rather, a shocking surge in geologic activity. Using red circles and sound effects to indicate the magnitude and depth of each earthquake, this video is a sobering reminder of the powerful forces at work on our planet. See the video, after the break.

This all too brief time lapse video from the International Space Station shows our home planet with storms sparking over Africa. It’s a breathtaking, if humbling, view, made all the more so by the enormous Milky Way galaxy rising behind Earth. Just a little reminder of how staggeringly huge and beautiful the universe is and how small we are.

If you put pants on me, I just get cranky, usually because it means that I’m going to have to leave the house or see other human beings. If you put pants on a dog, however, it appears to give him superpowers; at least it does for this dog. This dog, when put in pants and confronted with stairs, will walk down them on his two front legs, because his skinny Santa-pants are just a little too skinny. Why doesn’t he do this all the time? He realizes that it can be dangerous to blow your mind that often.

Some people just house their booze in an unused cabinet, or if you’re in college you can just throw it all in the freezer — guaranteeing that it will be completely tasteless and thus more easily consumed. However, neither of these options were good enough for master DIY-er Colin Johnson, who instead went and built this gorgeous wood and brass Imperial AT-AT liquor cabinet. Complete with a mirrored interior, it’s the perfect repository for your Romulan Ale whatever it is they drink in the Star Wars universe. See more pictures, after the break.

This was a two step scheme. First, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra asked its Twitter followers to send them tips for keeping warm this winter. Then, they arranged those tweets to the tune of O Fortuna, possibly the most dramatic piece of music ever put to paper. Then they performed the piece, for your pleasure. 

Reddit user byuflorida recounts childhood, when drawing amazingly intricate, almost hypnotizing, epic stick figure battles was a favorite pastime. We can all probably remember creating similar scenes with similar low-res figures, though probably none as intricate as the ones byuflorida found. Head on past the break to check out some quite impressive battle scenes, filled with tiny little stick figures, the occasional dragon, and a windmill, all arranged so meticulously that the setup somehow rivals any modern day scene.

Every year, entries in the Nikon Small World competition are stunningly beautiful. The competition receives thousands of submissions of extremely close-up photography from scientists and photomicrographers around the world. These pictures are captured with the help of microscopes, and allow us to see things in amazing detail that we wouldn’t normally be able to. The photographs are truly works of art, making things that might make us shudder, like the ant’s head above, appear completely breathtaking.

The winners of the competition will be determined by a panel of judges, but the public can help choose the winner of the popular vote. The judges will make their selections on October 4th and people can check out the gallery of more than 100 finalists and choose the popular vote until October 31st. Check out a few of our favorite entries in the competition after the jump.