In a seasonal spectacle, a spring dust storm swept through the dry, barren basin in western China.
A thick dust plume in the Middle East dimmed skies and sent thousands to the hospital in April 2025.
Folds of rusted rock neighbor the Bighorn Canyon’s deep scar in the western United States.
Published Apr 17, 2025
A major embayment in West Antarctica saw new sea ice growth in autumn 2025 amid older sea ice that had survived the austral summer melt season.
Published Apr 16, 2025
NASA scientists employed a pixel-tracking method to reveal how much the ground shifted during one of the largest documented surface ruptures of its type.
Published Apr 15, 2025
Winds interacted with mountainous terrain to produce long, sharp-edged standing wave clouds.
Published Apr 14, 2025
An astronaut orbiting over Southeast Asia captured a colorful photo of the lights from boats, ports, and other lit infrastructure.
Published Apr 13, 2025
One of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, this region of Italy has developed a cultural and natural heritage all its own over the millennia.
Published Apr 12, 2025
The colorful North Atlantic waters visible around the archipelago in April 2025 are likely due to a mix of phytoplankton and suspended sediment.
Published Apr 10, 2025
Signs of urban expansion cover parts of Tennessee’s “scenic city,” which is nestled along the meandering Tennessee River.
Published Apr 10, 2025
Satellite images of Earth at night have been a curiosity for the public and a tool of fundamental research for at least 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness.
Published Apr 12, 2017
A slow-moving storm system dumped heavy rain across the Midwest and Southeast and fueled major floods along several of the river’s tributaries.
Published Apr 8, 2025
Following destructive fires in March 2025, satellite imagery showed burned land stretching more than 80 kilometers toward the coastline in the country’s southeast.
Published Apr 8, 2025
Net radiation is the balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere. It is the total energy available to influence climate after light and heat are reflected, absorbed, or emitted by clouds and land.
France’s La Grande Dune du Pilat, the tallest sand dune in Europe, was 4,000 years in the making.
Published Apr 7, 2025
What do you do when presented with a new satellite image? Here's what the Earth Observatory team does to understand the view.
Published Nov 18, 2013
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a different part of the world? What would the weather be like? What kinds of animals would you see? Which plants live there? By investigating these questions, you are learning about biomes.
Published Aug 28, 2020
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
These maps show the average amount of water vapor in a column of atmosphere by month. Water vapor is the key precursor for rain and snow and one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Sea salt, volcanic ash, dust, wildfire smoke, and industrial pollution are types of airborne aerosols. Natural aerosols tend to be larger than human-made aerosols. These maps show when and where aerosols come from nature, humans, or both.
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
Ocean temperatures can influence weather, such as hurricane formation, and climate patterns, such as El Niño. These maps show the temperature at the surface of the world’s seas and oceans.
Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.
Published Jul 1, 2024
These maps depict how much hotter or cooler an ocean basin was compared to the long-term average. Temperature anomalies can indicate changes in ocean circulation or the arrival of patterns like El Niño and La Niña.
People have developed systems to harvest and store energy from sources such as wind, sunlight, and tidal action. Many of these installations are visible from orbit.
Published May 10, 2024
From ground-level ozone to particulate matter to nitrogen dioxide, an array of gasses and particles can affect the air people breathe, with implications for human health.
Published Apr 8, 2024
Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Mar 26, 2024
Whether sparked by lightning, intentional land-clearing, or human-caused accidents, wildland fires are burning longer and more often in some areas as the world warms.
Published Feb 27, 2024
Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Aug 15, 2023
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