As green chlorophyll fades from trees and plants each autumn, other pigments color the Earth’s landscapes. Satellites take leaf-peeping to a whole new level.
Meteorologists in Uzbekistan reported airborne levels of dust as high as they have been in 150 years of monitoring.
Melting glaciers recently exposed artifacts of war in the Alps.
Published Nov 11, 2021Image of the Day Land Human Presence Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
Now in its check-out period, the satellite has provided a glimpse of the compelling and useful imagery it will provide in tandem with Landsat 8.
Published Nov 10, 2021
New research shows that neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., with more people of color are exposed to more air pollution and have higher rates of disease.
Published Nov 9, 2021Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Life Human Presence Remote Sensing
Like so many glaciers in Greenland, Kjer has retreated significantly in recent decades and now flows more rapidly toward the ocean.
Published Nov 8, 2021
Moist ocean air and steady winds pile up thunderheads and anvil clouds around Indonesia.
Published Nov 7, 2021
It is likely to be one of the first areas that will dry out if water levels drop as much as some scientists expect.
Published Nov 6, 2021
Iron-rich aerosols from the 2019-2020 fires fertilized huge phytoplankton populations in the far South Pacific.
Published Nov 4, 2021Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Water Drought Fires Remote Sensing
More than one third of the world’s maize (corn) crop is grown in the United States, and the largest share comes from a swath of land across the Midwest.
Published Nov 4, 2021
Clear skies between storm systems gave satellites a cloud-free view from the Coast Mountains in British Columbia to the Rockies in western Alberta.
Published Nov 3, 2021
Like a sea captain tracking a white whale, Steve Miller has been chasing a rare form of marine bioluminescence for decades.
Published Nov 2, 2021
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.
More than 40 years after the explosive eruption of Mount St. Helens, relics from the blast continue to haunt a nearby lake.
Published Nov 1, 2021
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
Washington Irving’s classic tale about a headless horseman plays out an ancient landscape scarred by tectonic collisions and the relentless forces of erosion.
Published Oct 31, 2021
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.
Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us what we are looking at, where it is, and why it is interesting.
Published Oct 26, 2021
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.
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
50 Years. 9 million scenes. One champion.
Published Sep 7, 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
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
Airborne aerosols can cause or prevent cloud formation and harm human health. These maps depict aerosol concentrations in the air based on how the tiny particles reflect or absorb visible and infrared light.
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
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
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.
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
NASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. The images in this book tell a story of a 4.5-billion-year-old planet where there is always something new to see.
Published Apr 28, 2021
