A Spectacle of Color off the Shetland Islands
Image of the Day Jun 21, 2025

A Spectacle of Color off the Shetland Islands

Phytoplankton imparted brilliant blues and greens to North Sea waters near the Scottish archipelago in June 2025.
Water Pours Into Australia’s Lake Eyre
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Water Pours Into Australia’s Lake Eyre

Floodwaters that have coursed through the outback for months are now replenishing a vast inland sea on a scale not seen in decades.

Published Jun 18, 2025

Image of the Day Water Floods

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
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Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

The island group off mainland Mozambique is a dynamic marine and island ecosystem shaped by tides and currents.

Published Jun 18, 2025

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

Earth’s Clouds on the Move
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Earth’s Clouds on the Move

Marine storm cloud zones have shifted poleward and narrowed, and the changes are contributing to our planet’s growing energy imbalance.

Published Jun 17, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Seasonal Breakup in the Amundsen Gulf
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Seasonal Breakup in the Amundsen Gulf

Sea ice in the gulf, the gateway to the Northwest Passage, is fracturing and drifting westward into the Beaufort Sea.

Published Jun 16, 2025

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Egypt’s Mediterranean Coast
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Egypt’s Mediterranean Coast

An astronaut photographed Alexandria’s coastal development, agricultural zones, harbors, and salt ponds.

Published Jun 15, 2025

Image of the Day Human Presence

A Seaweed Economy Tied to the Tides
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A Seaweed Economy Tied to the Tides

Farming of this valuable product has become common in recent decades in the waters of Tanzania’s Pemba Island.

Published Jun 14, 2025

Image of the Day Water Human Presence

Winter Arrives Early in Lesotho and South Africa
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Winter Arrives Early in Lesotho and South Africa

A powerful weather system brought heavy snow to southern African mountains, plus high winds and flooding to the lowlands.

Published Jun 12, 2025

Image of the Day Land Severe Storms Snow and Ice Temperature Extremes

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

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

Storm Duo Churns Over the Pacific
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Storm Duo Churns Over the Pacific

Hurricane Barbara and Tropical Storm Cosme lined up off the western coast of Mexico.

Published Jun 10, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms

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

June Puzzler
Earth Matters

June Puzzler

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

Published Jun 10, 2025

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

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

Total Rainfall
Global Maps Jun 2000 — May 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

A Tornado’s Mark on Kentucky
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A Tornado’s Mark on Kentucky

One of the strongest tornadoes to hit the area left a long scar across the landscape.

Published Jun 9, 2025

Image of the Day Severe Storms Human Presence

When Rivers Take a Weird Turn
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When Rivers Take a Weird Turn

Two rivers diverge in a tropical rainforest of South America. And that has made some scientists do a double take.

Published Jun 9, 2025

Image of the Day Land

Lake Chad’s Water, Wetlands, and Dunes
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Lake Chad’s Water, Wetlands, and Dunes

Astronauts have photographed the diminishing lake in Central Africa for decades, most recently in January 2025, as its area remained just a fraction of its past size.

Published Jun 8, 2025

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

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

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

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — May 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

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

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