A Cerrado Above It All
Image of the Day May 24, 2025

A Cerrado Above It All

A perched patch of grasslands and savanna in Brazil acts as a sponge to recharge groundwater and feed natural hot springs.
An Impact Crater Hiding in Plain Sight
Image

An Impact Crater Hiding in Plain Sight

Much of the Goyder impact structure has eroded away, but there are remnants in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Published May 23, 2025

Image of the Day Land

A Tornado Scars Southern Illinois
Image

A Tornado Scars Southern Illinois

Severe weather swept across the U.S. Midwest and Mid-Atlantic in May 2025, spawning destructive twisters in several states.

Published May 20, 2025

Image of the Day Land Severe Storms Human Presence

Celebrating a Long Career With Roots on Long Island
Image

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
Image

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
Image

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
Image

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
Image

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

Snow Cover
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Apr 2025

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

Vortex Variety Hour
Image

Vortex Variety Hour

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

Published May 14, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere

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

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

Chlorophyll
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Apr 2025

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

A Smoky Start to Saskatchewan’s Fire Season
Image

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

Mapping the Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales
Image

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

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Apr 2025

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

Lights of Southeast Asia
Image

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

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

Land Surface Temperature
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Apr 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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