A satellite-based analysis indicates that nearly 27 million tons of wheat were harvested from the country’s farms this year, but Ukraine won’t reap all of the benefits.
Image of the Day Land Unique Imagery Human Presence Remote Sensing
Airborne mapping of the thickness of the lava flows helped scientists calculate that 230 million cubic meters of molton rock poured from the volcano during the two-week eruption.
Sunglint, waves, and ship wakes are visible on the waters between Italy’s Calabria region and Sicily.
Published Dec 18, 2022
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will measure the height of freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90 percent of Earth’s surface.
Published Dec 17, 2022
Dangerous thunderstorms and destructive tornadoes lashed the U.S. South amid a sprawling winter storm in December 2022.
Published Dec 16, 2022Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing
A rare December sandstorm in China darkened skies in several cities.
Published Dec 13, 2022
The most severe drought in 70 years of record keeping threatens the Horn of Africa with famine.
Published Dec 13, 2022
Many of the canals and floating fields used by ancient civilizations in the Valley of Mexico were lost as lakes were drained, but some examples of the watery fields remain in Xochimilco.
Published Dec 13, 2022
Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.
Published Dec 12, 2022
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.
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
The park is one of the most isolated natural areas in the continental United States and the site of long-running ecological studies.
Published Dec 11, 2022
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.
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
The quiet Caribbean island has been a destination for divers looking to spot corals and sea urchins.
Published Dec 10, 2022
Saharan dust clouded the skies but stayed low enough to frame the Italian island’s famously active volcano.
Published Dec 8, 2022
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
Three consecutive years of La Niña conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean make this a rare “triple dip” event.
Published Dec 8, 2022
Net radiation is the balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere. It is the total energy available to influence climate after light and heat are reflected, absorbed, or emitted by clouds and land.
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
Fifty years after Apollo 17 astronauts photographed the iconic “blue marble” image, cameras in space have again captured distant views of our home planet.
Published Dec 7, 2022
A small research station in Hawaii where analog astronauts simulate living and working on the Moon or Mars is out of harm’s way after a lava flow appeared to be headed in its direction.
Published Dec 5, 2022
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
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
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
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.
Since 1999, Earth Observatory has published images and stories from all over our planet. Now you can explore more than 11,000 images in a different way: by location.
Published Jun 2, 2021
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.
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
