Desert Dust Envelops Portugal and Spain
Image of the Day Mar 28, 2024

Desert Dust Envelops Portugal and Spain

Skies turned orange and snowy slopes were stained brown as Saharan dust reached Europe.
Arctic Sea Ice Continues to Decline
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Arctic Sea Ice Continues to Decline

Sea ice at the top of the planet continued to shrink and thin in 2024, consistent with an ongoing 46-year downward trend.

Published Mar 26, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

The Best Places to View the Total Solar Eclipse
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The Best Places to View the Total Solar Eclipse

It’s not a forecast, but this map of historical cloud cover will tell you how often skies on April 8 have been cloudy in the past.

Published Mar 25, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Life

Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada
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Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada

Lights, snow, and clouds brighten this wintery scene of Earth’s northern latitudes.

Published Mar 24, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Snow and Ice

Fires in the Appalachians
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Fires in the Appalachians

Smoke billowed from multiple wildfires in the eastern U.S., fueled by dry and windy weather.

Published Mar 22, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Snowstorm Coats the Rockies
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Snowstorm Coats the Rockies

A potent storm pushed snowpack levels above normal across Colorado.

Published Mar 21, 2024

Image of the Day Severe Storms Snow and Ice Temperature Extremes

Shedding Light on a Very Dark River
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Shedding Light on a Very Dark River

Recent data from the previously unstudied Ruki River in the Congo Basin shows that it carries a heavy load of carbon in its dark water.

Published Mar 21, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

An Outpost for Evolution at Aldabra Atoll
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An Outpost for Evolution at Aldabra Atoll

The large coral islands off the African coast are home to giant tortoises and unique birdlife.

Published Mar 20, 2024

Image of the Day Land

The Arctic is Getting Rainier
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The Arctic is Getting Rainier

The Arctic and North Atlantic oceans have seen an increasing number of days when precipitation falls as rain, not snow.

Published Mar 19, 2024

Image of the Day Water

Heat Stress on the Great Barrier Reef
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Heat Stress on the Great Barrier Reef

Weeks of warmer-than-average ocean temperatures caused extensive bleaching in the world’s largest coral reef system.

Published Mar 18, 2024

Image of the Day Heat Water

Siachen Glacier
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Siachen Glacier

An astronaut’s photograph reveals the myriad features of a remote glacier high in the Karakoram mountains of central Asia.

Published Mar 17, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

An Underwater Plume From Kavachi
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An Underwater Plume From Kavachi

A Landsat satellite acquired this image of discolored water drifting from the active underwater volcano.

Published Mar 15, 2024

Image of the Day Water Volcanoes

World of Change
Article

World of Change

NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.

Published Apr 29, 2009

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Human Presence Snow and Ice

Blue Marble Next Generation
Article

Blue Marble Next Generation

12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.

Published Oct 13, 2005

Atmosphere Land Water Snow and Ice

Antarctic Sea Ice at Near-Historic Lows
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Antarctic Sea Ice at Near-Historic Lows

Sea ice coverage reached its seasonal minimum in February 2024, tying with 2022 for the second-lowest extent in the satellite record.

Published Mar 15, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Jun 2002 — Sep 2011

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly

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.

Heat Water

Mission: Biomes
Article

Mission: Biomes

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

Land Life

Sea Surface Temperature
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jan 2024

Sea Surface Temperature

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.

Heat Water

March Puzzler
Earth Matters

March Puzzler

Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.

Published Mar 11, 2024

Total Rainfall
Global Maps Jun 2000 — Feb 2024

Total Rainfall

These maps depict monthly total rainfall around the world. Rainfall is the primary source of fresh water for humans, plants, and animals. Rain also moves heat between the atmosphere, oceans, and land.

Atmosphere

Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth
Earth Matters

Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth

This GLOBE challenge asks people from around the world to collect cloud observations throughout the day on April 8, 2024.

Published Mar 6, 2024

Temperature Extremes 2023
Article

Temperature Extremes 2023

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Published Aug 15, 2023

Heat

Aerosol Size
Global Maps Jan 2005 — Sep 2016

Aerosol Size

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.

Atmosphere

North Atlantic Hurricane Season
Article

North Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2023 season runs from June 1 to November 30, with peak activity generally occurring in September.

Published Jun 1, 2023

Atmosphere Remote Sensing

Fire Season in the Northern Hemisphere
Article

Fire Season in the Northern Hemisphere

Wildland fires in 2023 brought hazy skies and poor air quality to several countries north of the equator.

Published May 22, 2023

Atmosphere Land

How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies
Article

How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies

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

Remote Sensing

Net Radiation
Global Maps Jul 2006 — Jan 2024

Net Radiation

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.

Heat

Food and Agriculture
Article

Food and Agriculture

From soil conditions to crop productivity, satellite data help inform farmers, scientists, and decision-makers in the U.S. and around the world.

Published Feb 28, 2023

Land

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 2024

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly

These maps depict anomalies in land surface temperatures (LSTs); that is, how much hotter or cooler a region was compared to the long-term average. LST anomalies can indicate heat waves or cold spells.

Heat Land

Winter from the International Space Station
Article

Winter from the International Space Station

Over the years, astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory have snapped spectacular photographs of Earth’s snow and ice in both hemispheres.

Published Dec 21, 2022

Snow and Ice

EO On This Day
Article

EO On This Day

In honor of our site anniversary, we offer a selection of some of the most beautiful, newsworthy, interesting, and scientifically important images from 23 years online — one image for each day of the calendar year.

Published Apr 26, 2022

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Water Snow and Ice

Earth at Night
Article

Earth at Night

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

Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing