Capital of the Blue Ridge
Image of the Day May 18, 2025

Capital of the Blue Ridge

Roanoke, Virginia, is the largest city in the Blue Ridge Mountains and a stopover along a historic, scenic road.
Mountains of the Moon
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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
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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

Vortex Variety Hour
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Vortex Variety Hour

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

Published May 14, 2025

Image of the Day Atmosphere

A Smoky Start to Saskatchewan’s Fire Season
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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

Lights of Southeast Asia
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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

The Arches That Salt Built
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The Arches That Salt Built

A layer of salt called the Paradox Formation played a crucial role in the formation of thousands of arches within Utah’s Arches National Park.

Published May 10, 2025

Image of the Day Land

On-Again, Off-Again at Kilauea
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On-Again, Off-Again at Kilauea

The Hawaiian volcano has been spewing fountains of lava with remarkable frequency.

Published May 8, 2025

Image of the Day Heat Land Volcanoes

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

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

Aerosol Size
Global Maps Jan 2005 — Sep 2016

Aerosol Size

Sea salt, volcanic ash, dust, wildfire smoke, and industrial pollution are types of airborne aerosols. Natural aerosols tend to be larger than human-made aerosols. These maps show when and where aerosols come from nature, humans, or both.

Atmosphere

Spring Flooding in Kazakhstan
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Spring Flooding in Kazakhstan

Warm temperatures and spring rains unleashed a surge of water that inundated riverside communities in the northern part of the Central Asian country.

Published May 7, 2025

Image of the Day Floods 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

Antarctic Iceberg Loses Its Edge
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Antarctic Iceberg Loses Its Edge

The largest iceberg currently at sea is parked off the coast of South Georgia Island and showing signs of fragility.

Published May 7, 2025

Image of the Day Land Snow and Ice

Late-Autumn Storm Lashes New Zealand
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Late-Autumn Storm Lashes New Zealand

Wintry conditions swept across the mountains, while destructive wind and flooding hit some of the country’s largest cities.

Published May 5, 2025

Image of the Day Severe Storms Remote Sensing Temperature Extremes

World of Change
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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

Spawning Spectacle
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Spawning Spectacle

A late-season herring spawn in a British Columbia inlet created a vibrant patch of turquoise water.

Published May 5, 2025

Image of the Day Water

April Puzzler
Earth Matters

April Puzzler

Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us where it is, what we are looking at, and why it is interesting.

Published Apr 22, 2025

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

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Jun 2002 — Sep 2011

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly

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.

Heat Water

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

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

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Mar 2025

Vegetation

Greenness is an important indicator of health for forests, grasslands, and farms. The greenness of a landscape, or vegetation index, depends on the number and type of plants, how leafy they are, and how healthy they are.

Land Life

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

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

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

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

How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies
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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