Over the years, astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory have snapped spectacular photographs of Earth’s snow and ice in both hemispheres.
After breaking from the Brunt Ice Shelf, Iceberg A-81 and other pieces of ice drift south with the Weddell Gyre.
Dunes on both planets occasionally get blanketed with ice and snow—except on Earth the white stuff is frozen water and on Mars it’s often frozen carbon dioxide.
Published Jan 31, 2023
An astronaut on the International Space Station captured this photograph of minor explosions from one of Chile’s most active volcanoes.
Published Jan 30, 2023
This stretch of coastline in Western Australia is a popular recreational site for people and an important stopover site for migratory birds.
Published Jan 29, 2023
As the lake in southern Oregon dries up, the remaining water is becoming too salty to support key food sources for birds.
Published Jan 27, 2023
In summer 2022, the G-LiHT team made flights from Kodiak and Anchorage with an airborne instrument designed to map forested landscapes.
Published Jan 26, 2023
Although cover crops have significant environmental benefits, researchers found that they hinder yields on corn and soybean fields.
Published Jan 26, 2023
A long-watched rift has spawned an iceberg about twice the size of New York City.
Published Jan 24, 2023
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 Jan 24, 2023
After several weeks of heavy rainfall in northern Queensland, the water has worked its way south.
Published Jan 23, 2023
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
Researchers used satellite imagery to reveal where and when the discolored patches of water appeared between 2003 and 2020 and found a puzzling temporary increase in events in some areas.
Published Jan 23, 2023
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.
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.
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.
Colorful waterways and wetlands are visible along the river that defines a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Published Jan 22, 2023
The conveyor belt helps transport an essential agricultural fertilizer from the remote reaches of Western Sahara to farmlands across the world.
Published Jan 21, 2023
Thunderstorms swept across the U.S. Southeast in January 2023, spawning numerous twisters that left lengthy paths of damage.
Published Jan 19, 2023Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Severe Storms Human Presence Remote Sensing
Following a siege of atmospheric rivers, sediment billowed into the Pacific Ocean along the California coastline.
Published Jan 18, 2023
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
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
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.
In honor of our site anniversary, we offer a selection of some of the most beautiful, newsworthy, interesting, and scientifically important images from 23 years online — one image for each day of the calendar year.
Published Apr 26, 2022
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
These maps show the ‘metabolism” of Earth’s plants and trees. Net primary productivity is the difference between the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed during photosynthesis minus the amount released by respiration.
For the third time in a decade, the winner hails from the Canary Islands.
Published Mar 1, 2022
As green chlorophyll fades from trees and plants each autumn, other pigments color Earth’s landscapes. Satellites take leaf-peeping to a whole new level.
Published Oct 26, 2021
Summer is beach season in the northern hemisphere. But even if you're a regular at your local swimming hole, you probably haven't seen too many beaches from this perspective. See the satellite and space-station views of various shorelines from across the United States. No sunblock necessary.
Published Jul 22, 2021
These maps show the average amount of water vapor in a column of atmosphere by month. Water vapor is the key precursor for rain and snow and one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
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
Clouds can be a nuisance when scientists are trying to observe features on Earth's surface. But at other times, clouds are exactly what they want to see. These images highlight some of the more unusual and beautiful clouds observed in recent years from space.
Published Jun 21, 2021
