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NASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. The images in this book tell a story of a 4.5-billion-year-old planet where there is always something new to see.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station shot a photograph of the Moon’s shadow crossing the Earth on June 21, 2020.
Extremely cold and wet conditions in the mesosphere have led to abundant noctilucent clouds.
Published Jul 8, 2020
Irrigation from Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest man-made lakes, has increased the amount of arable land and crop production in Egypt.
Published Jul 7, 2020
A young volcanic island in the western Pacific Ocean has been going through some growing pains.
Published Jul 6, 2020
The Olympic Peninsula, Cascade Mountains, and Salish Sea caught the eye of an astronaut on the space station.
Published Jul 3, 2020
Linear features in the Kulunda region of southwestern Russia look as if a large claw has scraped the land surface.
Published Jul 2, 2020
In Peru, a landslide damaged farmland and stopped the flow of an important local river.
Published Jul 2, 2020
Satellites may make it easier for nomadic herders in Senegal to survive the lean season.
Published Jul 1, 2020
Every month on Earth Matters, we offer a puzzling satellite image. Your challenge is to tell us what we are looking at, where it is, and why it is interesting.
Published Jun 30, 2020 in Earth Matters
While dust routinely blows across the Atlantic Ocean, scientists rarely see plumes as large and dense with particles as the one that darkened Caribbean skies in June 2020.
Published Jun 29, 2020
MOSAiC expedition scientists returned to the Arctic sea-ice pack, greeted by a surprisingly distinct boundary between the open ocean and pack ice.
Published Jun 29, 2020 in Notes From the Field
While most glaciers in southeast Alaska are losing an astounding amount of ice, this glacier has been relatively stable.
Published Jun 29, 2020
The web platform combines the collective scientific power of the agencies' Earth-observing satellites to document changes in the environment and society during the pandemic.
Published Jun 29, 2020 in Earth Matters
Unusually clear skies and persistent, unseasonable heat may have set the stage for large and persistent blooms of phytoplankton in the waters around England.
Published Jun 26, 2020
Sediments flowing into the bay from the Río Cauto have built up an impressive delta and even helped bury a reef.
Published Jun 26, 2020
Industrialization has brought incredible societal advances and difficult pollution problems. From space, we can see skies clearing in some regions and darkening in others. The thin blue line of our atmosphere is still quite vulnerable.
Published Jun 24, 2014
A NASA photographer captured the ISS as it passed directly between the Sun and Earth.
Published Jun 26, 2020
Bright shades of white and yellow light up the geographic and political heart of Turkey.
Published Jun 26, 2020
Leg 4 scientists and crew with the MOSAiC expedition have finally headed for the Arctic ice pack.
Published Jun 25, 2020 in Notes From the Field
Long-term rainfall deficits, heat waves, and increased evaporation have depleted some of the groundwater supply beneath central and eastern Europe.
Published Jun 25, 2020
The town of Mariental sits at the convergence of the Kalahari Desert and the Central Plateau.
Published Jun 24, 2020
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 Oct 5, 2000
Fires are raging in eastern Siberia in the midst of an unusually long-lived heat wave.
Published Jun 23, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Drought Fires Remote Sensing Temperature Extremes
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.
The volcanoes of the remote South Sandwich Islands make an ideal natural laboratory for studying how airborne particles alter clouds.
Published Jun 19, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
A tremendous plume of dust from North Africa drifts toward the Caribbean and contiguous United States.
Published Jun 19, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze Remote Sensing
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.
An array of sandy colors paint the landscape around the capital and port city.
Published Jun 19, 2020
The lake in west-central India promptly changed from green to pink, and the reason why remains a mystery.
Published Jun 18, 2020
After two years of severe drought, abundant rain finally fell over the Australian state and turned the landscape green.
Published Jun 18, 2020
The blaze is the largest in Arizona this year and the largest in the United States right now.
Published Jun 16, 2020Image of the Day Heat Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing
A series of recent research papers shows that we know more than ever before about the ice on our land and covering the seas. Here’s a look at some of the notable findings.
Published Jun 15, 2020 in Earth Matters
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
The play of sunlight on water gives definition to the jagged coastlines of Sardinia and Corsica.
Published Jun 11, 2020
These maps depict how much hotter or cooler an ocean basin was compared to the long-term average. Temperature anomalies can indicate changes in ocean circulation or the arrival of patterns like El Niño and La Niña.
In May 2020, a vivid phytoplankton bloom colored the surface waters of the country’s second-longest fjord.
Published Jun 10, 2020
After studying 71 lakes in 33 countries, researchers found that phytoplankton and algae blooms are generally increasing around the world.
Published Jun 10, 2020
With so much of its water diverted, the Colorado River Delta has dried out and lost much of its vegetation and wildlife.
Published Jun 10, 2020
Ship emissions in the southeast Atlantic help create more reflective clouds that produce a local cooling effect.
Published Jun 8, 2020
The tropical cyclone continued to weaken as it moved inland, but still threatened parts of the United States with heavy rain.
Published Jun 8, 2020
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.
After a harsh winter in northern Finland, warm temperatures rapidly melted snow to cause significant flooding.
Published Jun 5, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Drought Fires Human Presence Snow and Ice Temperature Extremes
NASA satellites and sensors constantly take the pulse of our planet. Researchers apply those observations on local and regional scales to better manage things like food and water supplies, health, safety, land use, and ecosystems.
Published May 1, 2020
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
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.
After five rounds and 56,000 votes, the readers have chosen their favorite. We have a Tournament Earth 2020 champion.
Published Apr 28, 2020
Vote for your favorite all-time Earth Observatory image. Help narrow the field from 32 nominees down to one champion in a five-round tournament.
Published Mar 26, 2020Atmosphere Land Life Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing Videos
Pine Island Glacier is one of the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. Watch the glacier’s ice front as it retreats and sheds some notable icebergs over the past two decades.
Published Feb 13, 2020
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.
The average global temperature has increased by a little more than 1° Celsius (2° Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975.
Published Jan 29, 2020
