Dry conditions parched all but two states in October 2024 and worsened as the month progressed.
Recurring storms produced destructive flooding in the country’s southwest and along its eastern coast.
Annual fires contributed to hazy skies over northern Pakistan and India, causing schools in some areas to close.
Published Nov 4, 2024
Researchers have developed a new way to measure near-shore bathymetry using satellite observations alone.
Published Nov 4, 2024
Photographed from orbit at sunset, the rays of light penetrating gaps in the clouds span vast distances.
Published Nov 3, 2024
Scientists “fueled the love for science” among students during a field campaign for NASA’s plankton and aerosol observing satellite.
Published Oct 31, 2024
Torrential rains caused deadly flooding and extensive damage in eastern Spain.
Published Oct 31, 2024
The area of depleted ozone over the Antarctic ranked the seventh smallest since recovery began in 1992.
Published Oct 31, 2024
Bald cypress and other trees are becoming pale, leafless snags as storms, droughts, and sea level rise kill off coastal forests.
Published Oct 30, 2024
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.
Ash billowed from the stratovolcano, which has been active since 2005.
Published Oct 28, 2024
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
Visible atmospheric phenomena revealed springtime winds roaring over Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier.
Published Oct 28, 2024
The volcano’s central peak, an island within an island, stands above a reflective, water-filled caldera.
Published Oct 27, 2024
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
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.
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.
A dam along the Sinnamary River created this artificial lake in northern French Guiana.
Published Oct 26, 2024
Autumn color still clung to northern parts of the state in late October 2024.
Published Oct 25, 2024
Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.
Published Oct 22, 2024
Snow and ice influence climate by reflecting sunlight back into space. When it melts, snow is a source of water for drinking and vegetation; too much snowmelt can lead to floods. These maps show average snow cover by month.
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
Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.
Published Jul 1, 2024
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
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
Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Mar 26, 2024
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
Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Aug 15, 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
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.
Sea salt, volcanic ash, dust, wildfire smoke, and industrial pollution are types of airborne aerosols. Natural aerosols tend to be larger than human-made aerosols. These maps show when and where aerosols come from nature, humans, or both.
