Night life takes on a new meaning when viewed from space.
Published Dec 9, 2012Image of the Day Land Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
The Suomi NPP satellite got a clear view of Western Europe, its nighttime lights, and its moonlit landscape.
Published Aug 8, 2020
A nearly uninterrupted string of lights stretches from Philadelphia to Hartford.
Published May 1, 2017
A satellite detected the visible light produced by electrically charged particles hitting the atmosphere—also known as the aurora australis.
Published Mar 21, 2017
When the Apollo 11 astronauts left the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969, they brought home samples of solar wind particles, lunar rocks and dirt, and a big helping of perspective.
Published Jul 20, 2019
From one million miles away, the DSCOVR satellite returned its first view of the entire sunlit side of Earth.
Published Jul 21, 2015
Unique satellite instruments capture the view of the Olympic host city at night.
Published Jul 26, 2012
The Suomi NPP satellite has a potent new sensor for distinguishing Earth’s night lights.
Published Nov 28, 2012
In Brazil, vast wild areas have been converted into farms, producing a major protein-packed cash crop but also endangering wildlife.
Published Sep 9, 2018
City lights shone brightly in the United States as revelers welcomed the new year.
Published Jan 2, 2018
Night lights not only speak to where we live, but how.
Published Mar 26, 2020Image of the Day Land Life Dust and Haze Human Presence Remote Sensing
When the DSCOVR mission was conceived in the late 1990s, one of the central ideas was to provide daily, natural-color views of the entire Earth so that everyday citizens could see it. Seventeen years later, we have that view.
Published Oct 23, 2015
Astronauts collect a lot of photos of Earth at night, but they don't always know what they are looking at. You can help.
Published Aug 30, 2014
Updated for 2012, this map of lights across America has a least 10 times better resolution than previous maps.
Published Dec 25, 2012
This nighttime photograph of Tokyo, Japan, was taken by International Space Station astronaut Dan Tani on February 5, 2008. The heart of the city is brightest, with ribbons of lights radiating outward from the center along streets and railways.
Published Apr 22, 2008
The signs of economic activity around this Brazilian city are easy to see from space.
Published Jan 4, 2020
These iconic photos are not new, but their message never gets old.
Published Dec 24, 2018
After arriving in its final orbit, DSCOVR will monitor the solar wind and send back epic views of Earth’s full sunlit disk.
Published Feb 13, 2015
Before there was a Blue Marble photograph or composite image of Earth, there was TIROS IX.
Published Apr 22, 2015
The Suomi NPP satellite captured a glimpse of the northern lights over North America.
Published Apr 24, 2018
The confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões in Brazil is famous for unusual mixing patterns.
Published Sep 7, 2012
In one year, the refugee camp became the fourth largest population center in Jordan.
Published Aug 17, 2013
By removing natural and stray light sources, researchers get a clearer picture of the human footprint on Earth.
Published Apr 13, 2017Image of the Day Fires Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
An Earth Observatory reader used widely available software to correct the oblique perspective of an earlier photograph of Montserrat and to adjust the color. The story of how he modified the image includes step-by-step instructions that can be applied to other photographs.
Published Mar 27, 2002
The São Simão Reservoir, near the confluence of the Rio Paranaiba and Rio Verde in Brazil, is the featured subject in a milestone image of Earth. This colorful, patchwork image is the 300,000th image of Earth downlinked from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut photography collection now includes more than 745,000 images of Earth taken by astronaut crews, beginning with the Mercury missions in 1961 and continuing to the present day on the ISS.
Published Jan 7, 2008
A sensitive new sensor allows a clearer view of dim night lights on Earth.
Published Nov 28, 2012
