Desert Dust Envelops Portugal and Spain
Image of the Day Mar 28, 2024

Desert Dust Envelops Portugal and Spain

Skies turned orange and snowy slopes were stained brown as Saharan dust reached Europe.
Arctic Sea Ice Continues to Decline
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Arctic Sea Ice Continues to Decline

Sea ice at the top of the planet continued to shrink and thin in 2024, consistent with an ongoing 46-year downward trend.

Published Mar 26, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

The Best Places to View the Total Solar Eclipse
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The Best Places to View the Total Solar Eclipse

It’s not a forecast, but this map of historical cloud cover will tell you how often skies on April 8 have been cloudy in the past.

Published Mar 25, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Life

Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada
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Quiet Night Over Eastern Canada

Lights, snow, and clouds brighten this wintery scene of Earth’s northern latitudes.

Published Mar 24, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Snow and Ice

Fires in the Appalachians
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Fires in the Appalachians

Smoke billowed from multiple wildfires in the eastern U.S., fueled by dry and windy weather.

Published Mar 22, 2024

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Snowstorm Coats the Rockies
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Snowstorm Coats the Rockies

A potent storm pushed snowpack levels above normal across Colorado.

Published Mar 21, 2024

Image of the Day Severe Storms Snow and Ice Temperature Extremes

Shedding Light on a Very Dark River
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Shedding Light on a Very Dark River

Recent data from the previously unstudied Ruki River in the Congo Basin shows that it carries a heavy load of carbon in its dark water.

Published Mar 21, 2024

Image of the Day Land Water

An Outpost for Evolution at Aldabra Atoll
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An Outpost for Evolution at Aldabra Atoll

The large coral islands off the African coast are home to giant tortoises and unique birdlife.

Published Mar 20, 2024

Image of the Day Land

The Arctic is Getting Rainier
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The Arctic is Getting Rainier

The Arctic and North Atlantic oceans have seen an increasing number of days when precipitation falls as rain, not snow.

Published Mar 19, 2024

Image of the Day Water

Cloud Fraction
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 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

Heat Stress on the Great Barrier Reef
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Heat Stress on the Great Barrier Reef

Weeks of warmer-than-average ocean temperatures caused extensive bleaching in the world’s largest coral reef system.

Published Mar 18, 2024

Image of the Day Heat Water

Siachen Glacier
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Siachen Glacier

An astronaut’s photograph reveals the myriad features of a remote glacier high in the Karakoram mountains of central Asia.

Published Mar 17, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

An Underwater Plume From Kavachi
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An Underwater Plume From Kavachi

A Landsat satellite acquired this image of discolored water drifting from the active underwater volcano.

Published Mar 15, 2024

Image of the Day Water Volcanoes

Antarctic Sea Ice at Near-Historic Lows
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Antarctic Sea Ice at Near-Historic Lows

Sea ice coverage reached its seasonal minimum in February 2024, tying with 2022 for the second-lowest extent in the satellite record.

Published Mar 15, 2024

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

March Puzzler
Earth Matters

March Puzzler

Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.

Published Mar 11, 2024

Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth
Earth Matters

Eclipse Challenge: Clouds and Our Solar-Powered Earth

This GLOBE challenge asks people from around the world to collect cloud observations throughout the day on April 8, 2024.

Published Mar 6, 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

Water Vapor
Global Maps Jul 2002 — Jan 2024

Water Vapor

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.

Atmosphere

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

Snow Cover
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Feb 2024

Snow Cover

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.

Snow and Ice

Earth at Night
Article

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

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Jun 2002 — Sep 2011

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly

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.

Heat Water

North Atlantic Hurricane Season
Article

North Atlantic Hurricane Season

The 2023 season runs from June 1 to November 30, with peak activity generally occurring in September.

Published Jun 1, 2023

Atmosphere Remote Sensing

Fire Season in the Northern Hemisphere
Article

Fire Season in the Northern Hemisphere

Wildland fires in 2023 brought hazy skies and poor air quality to several countries north of the equator.

Published May 22, 2023

Atmosphere Land

Food and Agriculture
Article

Food and Agriculture

From soil conditions to crop productivity, satellite data help inform farmers, scientists, and decision-makers in the U.S. and around the world.

Published Feb 28, 2023

Land

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly
Global Maps Feb 2000 — Jan 2024

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly

These maps depict anomalies in land surface temperatures (LSTs); that is, how much hotter or cooler a region was compared to the long-term average. LST anomalies can indicate heat waves or cold spells.

Heat Land

Winter from the International Space Station
Article

Winter from the International Space Station

Over the years, astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory have snapped spectacular photographs of Earth’s snow and ice in both hemispheres.

Published Dec 21, 2022

Snow and Ice

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

Fire
Global Maps Mar 2000 — Feb 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

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

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

EO On This Day
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EO On This Day

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

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Water Snow and Ice