New Antarctic Iceberg Speeds Off

Iceberg A-84 has spent part of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer zipping along West Antarctica’s coastline.

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

The Arteries of Ashgabat

Nighttime lights reveal the structure of Turkmenistan’s capital city.

Image of the Day Human Presence

Where California’s Land Is Sinking and Rising

The elevation changes may seem small, amounting to fractions of inches per year, but they can increase or decrease local flood risk, wave exposure, and saltwater intrusion.

Image of the Day Land

Day 12: A Whirlwind Journey

AVUELO's many moving parts has made time fly by by for the campaign’s project scientist.

River of Fire on Mount Etna

Lava coursed down the snowy slopes of Europe’s tallest volcano in February 2025.

Image of the Day Land Volcanoes Snow and Ice

Waiting for Better Weather

What does AVUELO have in common with a Joni Mitchell song? The answer lies in the clouds.

Floods Swamp Tennessee

A storm system that swept through the U.S. Southeast brought damaging winds, torrential rain, and destructive flash floods to several communities in the region.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Floods

So Long, and Thanks for All the Leaves

Samples collected from Panama’s forest canopy are providing information that will ultimately be linked to remote sensing data.

A Most “Pleasantly Situated” Estate

The farms and gardens of Mount Vernon played a central role in the life of America’s first president.  

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Mecca From Above

Urban structures and the city’s Great Mosque stand out amid the hilly, desert landscape of western Saudi Arabia.

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Himalayan Snow Lines on the Rise

More and more, mountain snow in the Mount Everest region is vanishing into thin air.

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

A Growth Spurt for Home Reef

A small island in Tonga built by an underwater volcano in 2022 has grown larger.

Image of the Day Land Water Volcanoes

A Pair of Hearts

One frozen, one salty, and hemispheres apart, two very different lakes share a Valentine shape.

Image of the Day Land

Smoke Billows From Bushfires in Tasmania

Warm, dry conditions in February 2025 fueled fast-burning fires in the northwestern part of the Australian state.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Fires

Fires Rage in Patagonia

Strong winds and high temperatures fueled summer fires in Argentina.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires

Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly

These maps depict how much hotter or cooler an ocean basin was compared to the long-term average. Temperature anomalies can indicate changes in ocean circulation or the arrival of patterns like El Niño and La Niña.

Heat Water

Day One: AVUELO’S First Tropical Survey

Fieldwork in Panama is underway, as scientists began collecting airborne and ground-based data to aid studies of the region’s tropical ecosystems.

Aerosol Size

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.

Atmosphere

World of Change

NASA satellites document how our world—forests, oceans, human landscapes, even the Sun—changes over months, seasons, and years.

Atmosphere Heat Land Life Human Presence Snow and Ice

Total Rainfall

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.

Atmosphere

Net Radiation

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.

Heat

Land Surface Temperature Anomaly

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.

Heat Land

Blue Marble Next Generation

12 months of high-resolution global true color satellite imagery.

Atmosphere Land Water Snow and Ice

January Puzzler

Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.

Earth at Night

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.

Atmosphere Land Human Presence Remote Sensing

2024 North Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane season in the basin runs from June 1 to November 30.

Atmosphere

Renewable and Alternative Energy

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.

Land Human Presence

Aerosol Optical Depth

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.

Atmosphere

Air Quality

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.

Atmosphere Human Presence

Mission: Biomes

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.

Land Life

Temperature Extremes 2024

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Heat

2024 Fires in the Northern Hemisphere

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.

Atmosphere Land Human Presence

How to Interpret a Satellite Image: Five Tips and Strategies

What do you do when presented with a new satellite image? Here's what the Earth Observatory team does to understand the view.

Remote Sensing

Temperature Extremes 2023

Warmer-than-average temperatures are showing up locally and globally, with consequences for people, landscapes, and ecosystems.

Heat