Antarctic Sea Ice at Near-Historic Lows
Image of the Day Mar 15, 2024

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.
Taking a Bite Out of Pi
Image

Taking a Bite Out of Pi

A cycle of rapid advance and retreat at Sortebræ, a glacier in eastern Greenland, built pi-shaped tongues of ice before they later retreated.

Published Mar 14, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Animals as Earth System Observers
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Animals as Earth System Observers

Researchers are leveraging troves of data collected by animal-borne sensors to complement satellite observations, expand weather measurements, and better understand wildlife ecology in a changing climate.

Published Mar 12, 2024

Image of the Day Life Remote Sensing

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

Sau Reservoir Dries Up
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Sau Reservoir Dries Up

The large reservoir in Catalonia shrank to 1 percent of capacity in March 2024.

Published Mar 11, 2024

Image of the Day Water

Eight Countries, One Photo
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Eight Countries, One Photo

This wide-angle photo offers the feeling of looking out over the Persian Gulf from an altitude of about 250 miles.

Published Mar 10, 2024

Image of the Day Land

An Eruption for Galápagos Iguanas
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An Eruption for Galápagos Iguanas

A volcano on Fernandina, an uninhabited island dense with wildlife, is lighting up the night sky with the glow of lava.

Published Mar 8, 2024

Image of the Day Heat Volcanoes

Mining Lithium in Argentina
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Mining Lithium in Argentina

Some of the world’s largest deposits of this useful metal lie in the high plains of the Central Andes.

Published Mar 8, 2024

Image of the Day Human Presence

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

SWOT Observes Coastal California Flooding
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SWOT Observes Coastal California Flooding

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite provides a new view of water on land, at the coast, and in the ocean.  

Published Mar 6, 2024

Image of the Day Water

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

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

Fires Char Cattle Country
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Fires Char Cattle Country

Ranchers in the Texas Panhandle recently faced a fire that charred more than 1 million acres.

Published Mar 5, 2024

Image of the Day Land Fires

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

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

An Oasis of Green in Senegal
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An Oasis of Green in Senegal

Wetlands in Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary are used by millions of migrating birds.

Published Mar 4, 2024

Image of the Day Land

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

Land Surface Temperature
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 2024

Land Surface Temperature

Land surface temperatures rise and fall with the heat of the Sun, and they represent how hot or cold the surface would feel to touch. These maps show daytime land temperatures as measured from space.

Heat 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

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

Sierra Vista
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Sierra Vista

This city in southern Arizona is surrounded by mountains, national forest, and conservation areas.

Published Mar 3, 2024

Image of the Day Land

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 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

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

Amazon Forest Fires Rage in Roraima
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Amazon Forest Fires Rage in Roraima

Huge understory fires are spreading throughout the state in northern Brazil as drought and heat turn the rainforest into tinder.

Published Mar 1, 2024

Image of the Day Land Fires

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

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 2024

Cloud Fraction

In addition to making rain and snow, clouds can have a warming or cooling influence depending on their altitude, type, and when they form. These maps show what fraction of an area was cloudy each month.

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

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

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