Charting the Exceptional, Unexpected Heat of 2023 and 2024
Image of the Day Nov 20, 2024

Charting the Exceptional, Unexpected Heat of 2023 and 2024

Global temperatures have soared in recent years and climate scientists are trying to understand why.
November Puzzler
Earth Matters

November Puzzler

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

Published Nov 19, 2024

Mount Fuji Bare Again After Fleeting Snow
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Mount Fuji Bare Again After Fleeting Snow

The volcano’s first snow of the season fell in early November 2024—the latest in a 130-year record—only to apparently vanish within a few days.

Published Nov 19, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Tajikistan’s Fedchenko Glacier
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Tajikistan’s Fedchenko Glacier

The exceptionally long high-mountain glacier in Central Asia ranges from snowy white near the mountain peaks to dusty brown at lower elevations.

Published Nov 17, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Antarctic Icebergs Show Their Colorful Undersides
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Antarctic Icebergs Show Their Colorful Undersides

The blue underbellies of icebergs were spotted floating near the Amery Ice Shelf.

Published Nov 16, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Indonesia Continues to Erupt
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Indonesia Continues to Erupt

A series of explosive eruptions from Mount Lewotobi lofted ash to the cruising altitudes of jets.  

Published Nov 14, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Life Volcanoes

Typhoons Line Up in the Western Pacific
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Typhoons Line Up in the Western Pacific

Four storms swirled in the basin, many of which set their sights on the storm-ravaged Philippines.

Published Nov 13, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Severe Storms

Blankets of White in the West
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Blankets of White in the West

November snows piled up on the plains and peaks of Colorado and New Mexico.

Published Nov 12, 2024

Image of the Day Severe Storms Snow and Ice Temperature Extremes

Sizing Up a Greenland Tsunami
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Sizing Up a Greenland Tsunami

Satellite data show the shape of a wave as water sloshed around Dickson Fjord after a rockslide triggered a tsunami in September 2023.

Published Nov 12, 2024

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

The Glade of the Armistice
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The Glade of the Armistice

Veterans Day falls on November 11 because of a World War I armistice signed in the Forest of Compiègne in France in 1918.  

Published Nov 11, 2024

Image of the Day Human Presence

Sandy Sculptures in Morocco’s Erg Chebbi
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Sandy Sculptures in Morocco’s Erg Chebbi

Windswept sand formations known as star dunes, or pyramid dunes, are a distinctive feature of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa.

Published Nov 10, 2024

Image of the Day Heat Land

Windblown Smoke in Southern California
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Windblown Smoke in Southern California

Strong Santa Ana winds carried the Mountain fire’s plume westward over the Pacific Ocean.

Published Nov 7, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Hurricane Rafael Crosses Cuba
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Hurricane Rafael Crosses Cuba

The latest major storm in 2024’s active hurricane season brought heavy rain and storm surge to Cuba as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico.

Published Nov 7, 2024

Image of the Day Severe Storms Remote Sensing

Fire
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Oct 2024

Fire

Whether started by humans (farming, logging, or accidents) or by nature (lightning), fires are always burning somewhere on Earth. These maps show the locations of fires burning around the world each month.

Land

Chlorophyll
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Oct 2024

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is used by algae and other phytoplankton--the grass of the sea--to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. These maps show chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean, revealing where phytoplankton are thriving.

Life Water

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Spews Ash
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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Spews Ash

Eruptions in November 2024 sent volcanic material over the Indonesian island of Flores.

Published Nov 6, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Volcanoes Human Presence

Aerosol Optical Depth
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Oct 2024

Aerosol Optical Depth

Airborne aerosols can cause or prevent cloud formation and harm human health. These maps depict aerosol concentrations in the air based on how the tiny particles reflect or absorb visible and infrared light.

Atmosphere

Validating PACE and Inspiring Future Scientists
Notes from the Field

Validating PACE and Inspiring Future Scientists

Scientists “fueled the love for science” among students during a field campaign for NASA’s plankton and aerosol observing satellite.

Published Oct 31, 2024

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

Water Vapor
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Oct 2024

Water Vapor

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.

Atmosphere

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

Total Rainfall
Global Maps Jun 2000 — Oct 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

October Puzzler
Earth Matters

October Puzzler

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

Published Oct 22, 2024

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season
Article

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.

Published Jul 1, 2024

Atmosphere

Renewable and Alternative Energy
Article

Renewable and Alternative Energy

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

Land Human Presence

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

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

Air Quality
Article

Air Quality

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

Atmosphere Human Presence

Temperature Extremes 2024
Article

Temperature Extremes 2024

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

Published Mar 26, 2024

Heat

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

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere
Article

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere

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

Atmosphere Land Human Presence

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

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