Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Spews Ash
Image of the Day Nov 7, 2024

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Spews Ash

Eruptions in November 2024 sent volcanic material over the Indonesian island of Flores.
Smoky Skies Over the Indo-Gangetic Plain
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Smoky Skies Over the Indo-Gangetic Plain

Annual fires contributed to hazy skies over northern Pakistan and India, causing schools in some areas to close.

Published Nov 4, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Fires

Landsat Plumbs the (Shallow) Depths
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Landsat Plumbs the (Shallow) Depths

Researchers have developed a new way to measure near-shore bathymetry using satellite observations alone.

Published Nov 4, 2024

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

Crepuscular Rays and Cumulonimbus Clouds
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Crepuscular Rays and Cumulonimbus Clouds

Photographed from orbit at sunset, the rays of light penetrating gaps in the clouds span vast distances.

Published Nov 3, 2024

Image of the Day 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

Valencia Floods
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Valencia Floods

Torrential rains caused deadly flooding and extensive damage in eastern Spain.

Published Oct 31, 2024

Image of the Day Water Floods Human Presence

Ozone Hole Continues Healing in 2024
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Ozone Hole Continues Healing in 2024

The area of depleted ozone over the Antarctic ranked the seventh smallest since recovery began in 1992.

Published Oct 31, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Ghost Forests Creep Into North Carolina
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Ghost Forests Creep Into North Carolina

Bald cypress and other trees are becoming pale, leafless snags as storms, droughts, and sea level rise kill off coastal forests.

Published Oct 30, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

Sea Surface Temperature
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Aug 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

Popocatépetl Continues to Grumble
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Popocatépetl Continues to Grumble

Ash billowed from the stratovolcano, which has been active since 2005.

Published Oct 28, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land 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

Streaming Snow and “Sea Smoke”
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Streaming Snow and “Sea Smoke”

Visible atmospheric phenomena revealed springtime winds roaring over Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier.

Published Oct 28, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Exploring Russia’s Krenitsyna Volcano
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Exploring Russia’s Krenitsyna Volcano

The volcano’s central peak, an island within an island, stands above a reflective, water-filled caldera.

Published Oct 27, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

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

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

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Sep 2024

Vegetation

Greenness is an important indicator of health for forests, grasslands, and farms. The greenness of a landscape, or vegetation index, depends on the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.

Land Life

Petit Saut Reservoir
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Petit Saut Reservoir

A dam along the Sinnamary River created this artificial lake in northern French Guiana.

Published Oct 26, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

Majestic Color on the Michigan Mitten
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Majestic Color on the Michigan Mitten

Autumn color still clung to northern parts of the state in late October 2024.

Published Oct 25, 2024

Image of the Day Land

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

Snow Cover
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Aug 2024

Snow Cover

Snow and ice influence climate by reflecting sunlight back into space. When it melts, snow is a source of water for drinking and vegetation; too much snowmelt can lead to floods. These maps show average snow cover by month.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Water Vapor
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Sep 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

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