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.

Image of the Day Water Floods

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

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

Image of the Day Remote Sensing

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.

Image of the Day Atmosphere

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.

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Egypt’s Mediterranean Coast

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

Image of the Day Human Presence

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.

Image of the Day Water Human Presence

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.

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

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

NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Human Presence Snow and Ice

Storm Duo Churns Over the Pacific

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

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms

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

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

Blue Marble Next Generation

12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.

Atmosphere Land Water Snow and Ice

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

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

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

Image of the Day Severe Storms Human Presence

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.

Image of the Day Land

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.

Image of the Day Water

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.

Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing

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.

Remote Sensing

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.

Land Life

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.

Atmosphere

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.

Land Human Presence

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.

Atmosphere Human Presence

Temperature Extremes 2024

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Heat

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.

Atmosphere Land Human Presence

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

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Heat

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