Rare Snowfall in the Atacama Desert
Image of the Day Jul 19, 2025

Rare Snowfall in the Atacama Desert

Snow infrequently falls in the high plains of northern Chile. And when it does, it doesn’t last for long.
Cloud Streets Over the Laptev Sea
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Cloud Streets Over the Laptev Sea

The striking cloud formation developed over Arctic waters north of Siberia in July 2025 as frigid air met warmer open water.

Published Jul 18, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Snow and Ice

Mapping Fire’s Spread in a Georgia Pine Burn
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Mapping Fire’s Spread in a Georgia Pine Burn

NASA airborne technology revealed the progression of a controlled fire at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield.

Published Jul 16, 2025

Image of the Day Heat Land Remote Sensing

Fires Rage in Arizona  
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Fires Rage in Arizona  

Two lightning-ignited fires near the Grand Canyon became large and destructive in July 2025.

Published Jul 14, 2025

Image of the Day Land Fires

The Salty Lake of Gas Hure
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The Salty Lake of Gas Hure

Colorful salt ponds, rich mineral brines, and dust storm defenses meet on the Tibetan Plateau.

Published Jul 13, 2025

Image of the Day Land

Greenland’s Bejeweled Ice Sheet
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Greenland’s Bejeweled Ice Sheet

In early July 2025, around halfway through the island’s annual melting season, blue meltwater ponds dotted the western side of the massive ice sheet.

Published Jul 12, 2025

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Manitoba Burning
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Manitoba Burning

Skies are full of smoke in parts of the Canadian province as thousands of people face evacuation orders.

Published Jul 10, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Santorini’s Hidden Worlds
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Santorini’s Hidden Worlds

An explosive eruption thousands of years ago transformed the volcanic island but preserved a Bronze Age town under a layer of ash.

Published Jul 10, 2025

Image of the Day Land

Water Vapor
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jun 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

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

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jun 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

Towering Plume From Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki
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Towering Plume From Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki

An explosive eruption sent a kilometers-high column of volcanic material over Indonesia.

Published Jul 7, 2025

Image of the Day Land Volcanoes

Lake Titicaca in Sunglint
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Lake Titicaca in Sunglint

The optical phenomenon revealed features on and below the Peruvian lake’s surface, such as wind patterns, natural surface films, and boat wakes.

Published Jul 7, 2025

Image of the Day 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

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

Earth at Night
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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

Aerosol Optical Depth
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Jun 2025

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

Blast from the Past: Deciphering India’s Luna Crater
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Blast from the Past: Deciphering India’s Luna Crater

A round depression in the salty plains of the Kutch Basin reveals telltale signs of a prehistoric meteorite impact.

Published Jul 5, 2025

Image of the Day Land

Net Radiation
Global Maps Jul 2006 — Mar 2025

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

Land Surface Temperature
Global Maps Feb 2000 — May 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

Blast From the Past: Arizona’s Meteor Crater
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Blast From the Past: Arizona’s Meteor Crater

The “young” and well-preserved crater helps scientists understand cratering processes on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system.

Published Jul 4, 2025

Image of the Day Land

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

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

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Feb 2000 — May 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

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