As wildland fires raged in the American West, NASA airborne technology was there to image it in incredible detail.
One of NASA’s newest Earth-observing sensors extends and improves the continuous measurement of light-harvesting pigments in ocean surface waters.
Farmers are facing the burden of dwindling reservoir water in this productive agricultural region of Washington state.
Published Aug 22, 2025
The major hurricane steered clear of land but delivered tropical storm conditions to coastal areas along its path.
Published Aug 20, 2025
Fueled by extreme heat and dry conditions, intense wildfires in Spain and Portugal sent thick smoke across parts of Europe.
Published Aug 19, 2025
Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.
Published Aug 19, 2025
Samuel Pierpont Langley conducted the first successful flight of an unpiloted, engine-driven, heavier-than-air craft from a houseboat near Chopawamsic Island in the Potomac River.
Published Aug 19, 2025
A subtle arc, formed by the bending of light through high-altitude ice crystals, cradles the Moon above the darkened Earth.
Published Aug 17, 2025
The Bear Gulch fire spread through dense forest and filled skies with smoke in northwestern Washington state.
Published Aug 15, 2025
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
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.
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.
One of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula is erupting yet again.
Published Aug 14, 2025
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.
Data provided by the water satellite are helping to improve tsunami forecast models.
Published Aug 14, 2025
The remote and rugged landscape in central Colorado is known for outdoor recreation by day and exceptional stargazing by night.
Published Aug 13, 2025
The fast-growing blaze charred more than 100,000 acres in the span of a week.
Published Aug 11, 2025
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.
The Aude fire rapidly burned around 16,000 hectares in August 2025, becoming the country’s largest fire since 1949.
Published Aug 7, 2025
Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.
Published Jul 1, 2024
12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.
Published Oct 13, 2005
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
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.
NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.
Published Apr 29, 2009
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
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
Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Published Mar 26, 2024
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
