Smoky Zabaykal’skiy
Image of the Day May 22, 2025

Smoky Zabaykal’skiy

Plumes choked Siberian skies as early-season wildland fires burned near a city in eastern Russia.  
Celebrating a Long Career With Roots on Long Island
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Celebrating a Long Career With Roots on Long Island

NASA’s Jack Kaye enabled decades of Earth scientists, including those who are unveiling the atmospheric ties between New York City and its suburbs.

Published May 20, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Human Presence

May Puzzler
Earth Matters

May Puzzler

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

Published May 19, 2025

Capital of the Blue Ridge
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Capital of the Blue Ridge

Roanoke, Virginia, is the largest city in the Blue Ridge Mountains and a stopover along a historic, scenic road.

Published May 18, 2025

Image of the Day Human Presence

Mountains of the Moon
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Mountains of the Moon

The Rwenzori Mountains in eastern Africa are renowned for their water resources and endemic plants and animals, but like elsewhere in the tropics, the glaciers are dwindling.

Published May 17, 2025

Image of the Day Land Life

Digging Into the History of Stone Town
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Digging Into the History of Stone Town

Satellite images of the ancient city in Zanzibar highlight urbanization patterns and help researchers find new archaeological sites.  

Published May 16, 2025

Image of the Day Human Presence

Fires Erupt in North American Forests
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Fires Erupt in North American Forests

Record heat and dry conditions helped stoke several large blazes in Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota.

Published May 14, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Vortex Variety Hour
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Vortex Variety Hour

The Kuril Islands produced swirls of different sizes in passing clouds.

Published May 14, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere

A Smoky Start to Saskatchewan’s Fire Season
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A Smoky Start to Saskatchewan’s Fire Season

Still early in the fire season, satellites in mid-May observed intense blazes and towering plumes of smoke.

Published May 12, 2025

Image of the Day Fires Remote Sensing

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Mar 2025

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

Mapping the Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales
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Mapping the Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales

Researchers used NASA satellite data to detect swarms of red-tinged copepods, a key food source for the endangered marine mammals, in the Gulf of Maine.

Published May 12, 2025

Image of the Day Life Water Remote Sensing

Lights of Southeast Asia
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Lights of Southeast Asia

On a night with little to no moonlight, other sources of nighttime lights were on vivid display in parts of Burma, Thailand, and Laos.

Published May 11, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Human Presence

The Arches That Salt Built
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The Arches That Salt Built

A layer of salt called the Paradox Formation played a crucial role in the formation of thousands of arches within Utah’s Arches National Park.

Published May 10, 2025

Image of the Day Land

On-Again, Off-Again at Kilauea
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On-Again, Off-Again at Kilauea

The Hawaiian volcano has been spewing fountains of lava with remarkable frequency.

Published May 8, 2025

Image of the Day Heat Land Volcanoes

Water Vapor
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Apr 2025

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

April Puzzler
Earth Matters

April Puzzler

Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us where it is, what we are looking at, and why it is interesting.

Published Apr 22, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Apr 2025

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

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

Carbon Monoxide
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Oct 2024

Carbon Monoxide

When fuels such as coal, wood, and oil burn incompletely, they produce carbon monoxide. The gas is spread by winds and circulation. These maps show monthly averages of CO in the lower atmosphere.

Atmosphere

Sea Surface Temperature
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Mar 2025

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

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

Total Rainfall
Global Maps Jun 2000 — Apr 2025

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

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

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