Observing Earth From Space Gave Us This Breathtaking View Of Mount Vesuvius

This satellite image of Mount Vesuvius in Italy won DigitalGlobe's Top Image of Year contest for 2013, receiving the most votes on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Twitter.

The voting began in early December with a collection of 20 satellite images, including aerial views of a medieval fortified palace in Syria and a heart-shaped island in Croatia.

You can see the original 20 here.

Mount Vesuvius is best known for the eruption that buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. It last erupted in 1944.