Astronauts and much of Earth’s population had a chance to view a coppery “Blood Moon” during a total lunar eclipse in September 2025.
The tropical cyclones are close enough in proximity that they may influence one another.
A colorful ridge and winding glacial meltwater river meet amidst dune fields in western China.
Published Oct 1, 2025
The colossal project created a valuable connection between the U.S. interior and the Atlantic Ocean when it opened in October 1825.
Published Sep 29, 2025
A Gulf Coast storm followed by snowmelt in January 2025 temporarily increased the Mississippi River’s outflow, sending a surge of sediment through the delta and into gulf waters.
Published Sep 28, 2025
In late September 2025, a continued lack of rainfall led to stunted vegetation, lowered water levels, and prompted early fall foliage.
Published Sep 26, 2025
The Guiana Shield’s rugged terrain shapes Guyana’s waterways, but mining has altered their clarity.
Published Sep 26, 2025
After a long, turbulent journey, Antarctic Iceberg A-23A is signaling its demise as it floats in the South Atlantic.
Published Sep 25, 2025
The super typhoon headed for Guangdong province after lashing Taiwan and northern Luzon in the Philippines.
Published Sep 23, 2025
Hillsides in Alaska’s interior showed their changing colors ahead of the autumnal equinox.
Published Sep 23, 2025
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.
Satellite data show decades of gradual but persistent change to forests around one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s largest cities.
Published Sep 22, 2025
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.
Sediment from the riverbed, especially during periods of higher flow, helps shape the surrounding beaches and sandbars.
Published Sep 21, 2025
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.
Satellite data show that Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent on September 10, 2025.
Published Sep 19, 2025
Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.
Published Jul 1, 2024
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
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
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.
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
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
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 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
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.
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
