A Desert Intersection
Image of the Day Oct 1, 2025

A Desert Intersection

A colorful ridge and winding glacial meltwater river meet amidst dune fields in western China.
The Erie Canal Turns 200
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The Erie Canal Turns 200

The colossal project created a valuable connection between the U.S. interior and the Atlantic Ocean when it opened in October 1825.

Published Sep 29, 2025

Image of the Day Water Human Presence

Winter Transforms the Mississippi River Delta
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Winter Transforms the Mississippi River Delta

A Gulf Coast storm followed by snowmelt in January 2025 temporarily increased the Mississippi River’s outflow, sending a surge of sediment through the delta and into gulf waters.

Published Sep 28, 2025

Image of the Day Land Water Human Presence

Drought Worsens Across Northern New England
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Drought Worsens Across Northern New England

In late September 2025, a continued lack of rainfall led to stunted vegetation, lowered water levels, and prompted early fall foliage.

Published Sep 26, 2025

Image of the Day Heat Remote Sensing Temperature Extremes

Land of Many Waters and Much Sediment
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Land of Many Waters and Much Sediment

The Guiana Shield’s rugged terrain shapes Guyana’s waterways, but mining has altered their clarity.

Published Sep 26, 2025

Image of the Day Water

A Giant Iceberg’s Final Drift
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A Giant Iceberg’s Final Drift

After a long, turbulent journey, Antarctic Iceberg A-23A is signaling its demise as it floats in the South Atlantic.

Published Sep 25, 2025

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Ragasa Steers Toward China
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Ragasa Steers Toward China

The super typhoon headed for Guangdong province after lashing Taiwan and northern Luzon in the Philippines.

Published Sep 23, 2025

Image of the Day Severe Storms Remote Sensing

A Golden Moment for Boreal Forests
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A Golden Moment for Boreal Forests

Hillsides in Alaska’s interior showed their changing colors ahead of the autumnal equinox.

Published Sep 23, 2025

Image of the Day Land

Reshaping the Forests Around Kisangani
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Reshaping the Forests Around Kisangani

Satellite data show decades of gradual but persistent change to forests around one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s largest cities.

Published Sep 22, 2025

Image of the Day Human Presence

Mozambique’s Rio Lúrio
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Mozambique’s Rio Lúrio

Sediment from the riverbed, especially during periods of higher flow, helps shape the surrounding beaches and sandbars.

Published Sep 21, 2025

Image of the Day Land

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

Aerosol Optical Depth
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Jul 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

Arctic Sea Ice Ties for 10th-Lowest on Record
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Arctic Sea Ice Ties for 10th-Lowest on Record

Satellite data show that Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent on September 10, 2025.

Published Sep 19, 2025

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — May 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

Cooper Creek Replenishes Lake Eyre
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Cooper Creek Replenishes Lake Eyre

Another major tributary reached the Australian outback lake in 2025, extending the months-long flood of the vast, ephemeral inland sea.

Published Sep 17, 2025

Image of the Day Water Floods

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

Sea Surface Temperature
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jun 2025

Sea Surface Temperature

Ocean temperatures can influence weather, such as hurricane formation, and climate patterns, such as El Niño. These maps show the temperature at the surface of the world’s seas and oceans.

Heat 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

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jul 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

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

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

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 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

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

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