Pyramid Lake in Bloom
Image of the Day Oct 18, 2024

Pyramid Lake in Bloom

Blooms of cyanobacteria develop in the brackish waters of this Nevada lake nearly every year.
Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Approached Historic Lows
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Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Approached Historic Lows

Sea ice in the Arctic continued a decades-long downward trend in its minimum summer extent, while sea ice around Antarctica saw meager winter growth in 2024.

Published Oct 17, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

A Colorful Aurora Paints the Night Sky
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A Colorful Aurora Paints the Night Sky

A powerful geomagnetic storm caused a display of light that was visible unusually far from Earth’s poles.

Published Oct 16, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Intense, Widespread Drought Grips South America
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Intense, Widespread Drought Grips South America

Insufficient rainfall in 2023-2024 has taken a toll on the region’s rivers and groundwater and upended daily life in several countries.

Published Oct 15, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

First Stop: Tofua  
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First Stop: Tofua  

British Royal Naval officer William Bligh and 18 loyalists headed for this volcanic island in Tonga after a mutiny on the HMS Bounty.

Published Oct 14, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

Meanders of the Irrawaddy River
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Meanders of the Irrawaddy River

River channels old and new wind across a floodplain in Burma (Myanmar), mingling with areas of agriculture and aquaculture.

Published Oct 13, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

A Forest Fire in Western Wyoming
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A Forest Fire in Western Wyoming

A lightning-ignited blaze billowed smoke into the towns and valleys near Jackson.

Published Oct 9, 2024

Image of the Day Fires Remote Sensing

Fuel for Hurricane Milton
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Fuel for Hurricane Milton

The storm rapidly intensified to Category 5 strength over warm gulf waters.

Published Oct 8, 2024

Image of the Day Severe Storms Remote Sensing

Three Storms Churn in an Active Atlantic
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Three Storms Churn in an Active Atlantic

The active 2024 hurricane season comes to a head with several simultaneous hurricanes—an unusual sight for October.

Published Oct 7, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Severe Storms

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Apr 2024

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

Autumn in Northern Mongolia
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Autumn in Northern Mongolia

Larch-filled forests turned from green to gold around Lake Hövsgöl in September 2024.

Published Oct 7, 2024

Image of the Day Land

Sprites, Camera, Action!
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Sprites, Camera, Action!

An astronaut photographed the atmospheric phenomenon, associated with lightning, during a stormy night over North America.

Published Oct 6, 2024

Image of the Day Human Presence

Fire
Global Maps Mar 2000 — May 2024

Fire

Whether started by humans (farming, logging, or accidents) or by nature (lightning), fires are always burning somewhere on Earth. These maps show the locations of fires burning around the world each month.

Land

Total Rainfall
Global Maps Jun 2000 — May 2024

Total Rainfall

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.

Atmosphere

Flash Floods Swamp North Carolina
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Flash Floods Swamp North Carolina

Torrential rains from Hurricane Helene swamped communities in the mountainous western part of the state.

Published Oct 4, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Life Water Severe Storms

Chlorophyll
Global Maps Jul 2002 — May 2024

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is used by algae and other phytoplankton--the grass of the sea--to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. These maps show chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean, revealing where phytoplankton are thriving.

Life Water

Last Stop: Tundra and Peatland Fires in the Northwest Territories
Notes from the Field

Last Stop: Tundra and Peatland Fires in the Northwest Territories

Researchers concluded their 2024 field season in the Canadian territory, where they collected measurements to aid studies of high-latitude wildland fires.

Published Oct 2, 2024

Heat

Twenty-one Hours a Day on a 30-Foot Floating Science Lab
Notes from the Field

Twenty-one Hours a Day on a 30-Foot Floating Science Lab

Off the coast of southern California, a research team sails for science on the Research Vessel Blissfully.

Published Sep 24, 2024

Day-in-the-Life of a PACE-PAX Mission Flight
Notes from the Field

Day-in-the-Life of a PACE-PAX Mission Flight

Airborne observations will help scientists validate measurements from NASA's PACE satellite.

Published Sep 18, 2024

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 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

Air Quality
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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

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

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

Carbon Monoxide
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Nov 2023

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

Vegetation
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Apr 2024

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

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

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

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

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere
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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