From soil conditions to crop productivity, satellite data help inform farmers, scientists, and decision-makers in the U.S. and around the world.
A deadly tornado left a 29-mile-long path near Winona, which is visible in satellite images.
Scientists developed a way to detect the fine-scale features of harmful algae blooms that occur close to beaches and inside small bays.
Published Mar 30, 2023
Your challenge is to use the comments section to tell us where it is, what we are looking at, and why it is interesting.
Published Mar 28, 2023
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission has sent back some of its first glimpses of water on Earth’s surface, including a detailed view of the Gulf Stream.
Published Mar 28, 2023
A winter storm in December 2022 dropped snow over Mauna Kea and the recently erupted Mauna Loa.
Published Mar 26, 2023
Fossils found in this region of Argentina have been key to understanding the origins and behaviors of mammals and dinosaurs.
Published Mar 25, 2023
A low-pressure system lifted sand and dust from the Gobi Desert and darkened skies in Beijing.
Published Mar 24, 2023
Frequent fires in the pine forests in the southeastern United States enable trees and other wildlife to flourish.
Published Mar 24, 2023
The dry, sunny basin is the site of a solar power station that supplies electricity to nearly 2 million Moroccans.
Published Mar 23, 2023
The end-of-winter sea ice extent in March 2023 was the fifth lowest in the satellite record.
Published Mar 22, 2023
The storm’s arrival in Malawi and Mozambique unleashed destructive floods and mudslides.
Published Mar 20, 2023
The pass now has a flow five times that of New York’s Hudson River.
Published Mar 20, 2023
An astronaut spotted colorful evaporation ponds in Mexico while in orbit over the Baja Peninsula.
Published Mar 19, 2023
Successive atmospheric rivers in March dropped even more rain and snow throughout the state.
Published Mar 17, 2023
These maps show the ‘metabolism” of Earth’s plants and trees. Net primary productivity is the difference between the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed during photosynthesis minus the amount released by respiration.
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.
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
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
Chlorophyll is used by algae and other phytoplankton--the grass of the sea--to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. These maps show chlorophyll concentrations in the ocean, revealing where phytoplankton are thriving.
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
For the third time in a decade, the winner hails from the Canary Islands.
Published Mar 1, 2022
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 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.
As green chlorophyll fades from trees and plants each autumn, other pigments color Earth’s landscapes. Satellites take leaf-peeping to a whole new level.
Published Oct 26, 2021
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
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
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.
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
