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In honor of our 20th anniversary, we offer a selection of some of the most beautiful, newsworthy, interesting, and scientifically important images from the past 20 years — one for each day of the calendar year.
The powerful storm barreled toward the coast and then changed direction.
Seven ice features in western Antarctica have been named for Earth-observation satellites.
Published Jun 18, 2019 in Earth Matters
Exhaust creates cloud lines that trace the curved trajectories of ships.
Published Jun 14, 2019
In May 2019, when atmospheric carbon dioxide reached its yearly peak, it set a record.
Published Jun 14, 2019 in Earth Matters
The wet and dry seasons bring two distinct but colorful looks to this wetland in the Thar Desert.
Published Jun 14, 2019
After seven months encased in snow and ice, the delta emerges for the short Arctic summer.
Published Jun 13, 2019
Extreme temperatures baked northern cities for nearly three weeks.
Published Jun 12, 2019
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.
In a recent article, we showed satellite imagery of the dramatic retreat of Alaska’s Excelsior Glacier over the past two decades. Images collected closer to the ground also show dramatic change.
Published Jun 11, 2019 in Earth Matters
For this late in the year, snowpack is remarkably deep in Colorado and Utah.
Published Jun 11, 2019
Where some of the park’s most notable glaciers end, a series of colorful glacial lakes begin.
Published Jun 10, 2019
Located on the border of Russia and China, Lake Khanka plays an important role in supporting biodiversity in the region.
Published Jun 9, 2019
Find out what three NASA scientists wanted to be when they were young and discover what they do now. Then, be a scientist yourself, right now!
Published Jun 9, 2019 in EO Kids
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.
Harmless phytoplankton put on a stunning display, while another less-visible species wreaked havoc on salmon farms.
Published Jun 6, 2019
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.
Storms in the North Atlantic are lingering longer near the coast, leading to significantly more rainfall.
Published Jun 6, 2019Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Floods Severe Storms Human Presence Remote Sensing
Seven million years ago, some truly spectacular creatures roamed the woodlands of East Africa.
Published Jun 6, 2019 in Earth Matters
Without the sound advice of meteorologists and geologists working behind the scenes, one of the most consequential battles in human history could have gone quite differently.
Published Jun 5, 2019
Fueled by the Oyashio current, the waters off of northeastern Japan support a bounty of phytoplankton and fishes.
Published Jun 4, 2019
Swirling white clouds, deep blue oceans, and multicolored landscapes come to life on the pages of NASA’s new photo essay Earth, a collection of dramatic images captured by satellites.
Published Jun 4, 2019
Belize is a small Central American country whose people pride themselves on trying to maintain a balance between development and conservation.
Published Jun 3, 2019 in Notes From the Field
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
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.
The Mongolian capital is spreading outward as migrants from the countryside fill neighborhoods on the fringes of the city.
Published Jun 3, 2019
Modern Luxor is full of relics and reminders of ancient Egypt.
Published May 31, 2019
Fires raging in Alberta sent smoke plumes far and wide.
Published May 31, 2019
Located within the Rocky Mountain Trench, it is one of the largest freshwater lakes west of the Mississippi River.
Published May 31, 2019
NASA and the National Park Service are encouraging the public to follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark through a new citizen science challenge.
Published May 30, 2019 in Earth Matters
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.
Are you distracted by unusual colors in satellite images? They are not photographs, and understanding the difference between them is the key to unlocking the power of false-color images.
Published Mar 4, 2014
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.
Drought is apparent across much of East Africa after seasonal rains failed to deliver much moisture to the region.
Published May 30, 2019
This winter, our field team of four completed the two-week 88S Traverse in Antarctica in an effort to provide the best means of assessing NASA’s ICESat-2.
Published May 30, 2019 in Notes From the Field
The Southern and Central United States have been drenched by rainstorms in the spring of 2019, leading to widespread flooding.
Published May 29, 2019Image of the Day Land Water Floods Human Presence Remote Sensing
We answer your frequently asked questions about ICESat-2’s Antarctic expedition.
Published May 28, 2019 in Notes From the Field
The continental United States recently finished its wettest twelve months in 124 years of modern recordkeeping.
Published May 24, 2019
Floodwaters have worked their way through a series of parched channels, watering holes, and lagoons to start filling the iconic Australian lake.
Published May 24, 2019
The climate of Humboldt County is persistently wet, with legendary fog that has helped the trees and the military.
Published May 24, 2019
Roughly the same size of Belgium, Canada’s Great Slave Lake runs nearly 2,000 feet deep.
Published May 23, 2019
Cyclonic winds help state-sized areas of sea ice go missing from the middle of the ice pack around Antarctica.
Published May 22, 2019
Over the past two decades, an Alaskan glacier has melted into a lake more than five times the size of Central Park.
Published May 21, 2019
Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us what we are looking at and why it is interesting.
Published May 21, 2019 in Earth Matters
Plumes of dried soil streamed from a rural area in the northern part of the Japanese island.
Published May 21, 2019
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
Our world is constantly changing. We have evolved with it.
Published May 7, 2019
Pine Island Glacier is one of the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. This timeline highlights the most notable calving events of the past two decades.
Published Apr 9, 2019
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 Feb 20, 2019
After thinning at alarming rates in the 1980s and 90s, the ozone layer over Antarctica is starting to recover. Watch how ozone concentrations in the stratosphere have changed from 1979 through 2018.
Published Feb 13, 2019Atmosphere Human Presence Remote Sensing World of Change Videos
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 Oct 5, 2000
