NASA Earth VIDEO Showcases Satellites' Best Clips From Orbit

To mark Earth Month, NASA has given a shout-out to some of its satellites with a "greatest hits" video. The two-minute compilation features the most spectacular images of Earth taken in 2012 -- giving eye-popping views of glaciers, deserts, oceans, and even city lights from space. Check out the video above.

Among the satellites featured are Aquarius, which measures sea surface salinity, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting (NPP) satellite, which takes various climate measurements. There's a stunning view of the planet at night (0:19), sand dunes formed by the wind over thousands of years in Egypt's Great Sand Sea (0:32), and a massive 19-mile crack in the Antarctic ice sheet (0:49).

The video also includes data visualizations and computer models put together from the satellites' measurements, like the eerily beautiful animation of Hurricane Sandy's 80-mph winds at 1:46. The highlight reel wraps up with a beautiful time-lapse of the "moonset" as seen from the International Space Station.