Earth Observatory

Earth Observatory
After a four-decade run, the massive, waterlogged berg is leaking meltwater and on the verge of disintegrating.
Posted January 8, 2026
Earth Observatory
Surface Water
Water Blooms
Water Quality
Vivid green blooms form, drift, and fade in Hartbeespoortdam reservoir over the course of a year.
Posted January 7, 2026
Earth Observatory
Topography
The Huíla plateau, bounded by dramatic cliffs and chasms, stands above the arid coastal plains in the country’s southwest.
Posted January 6, 2026
Earth Observatory
Landsat 9
The colorful formations found in this bowl-shaped escarpment in southwestern Utah are the centerpiece of Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Posted January 5, 2026
Earth Observatory
Surface Water
Winds, waves, and ice near a remote town on the Chukchi Peninsula have sculpted a series of coastal inshore lagoons that resemble an icon of winter.
Posted December 17, 2025
Earth Observatory
The ancient walls, ramparts, and ditches that wind through this Nigerian city are the longest known earthworks of the pre-mechanical era.
Posted December 1, 2025
Earth Observatory
Expedition 73
In southeastern Libya, Jabal Arkanū’s concentric rock rings stand as relics of past geologic forces that churned beneath the desert.
Posted November 28, 2025
Earth Observatory
The tart berry and state fruit brings a red pop to holiday feasts—and to satellite images of Midwestern marshlands.
Posted November 27, 2025
Earth
Earth Observatory
On May 19, 2025, Landsat 9 captured this image of the Serra de Caldas in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The oval plateau is covered by a biologically rich savanna and grassland ecosystem called Cerrado. The Cerrado covers about one-fifth of Brazil’s land area and represents the second-largest biome in South America behind the Amazon. These lands […]
Posted June 9, 2025
Earth Observatory
Landsat 9
Natural Disasters
Lava encroaches on the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist destination in Iceland, in this Nov. 24, 2024, Landsat 9 image overlaid with an infrared signal. The infrared signal helps distinguish the lava’s heat signature. A volcanic fissure burst open on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula four days prior, heralded by a series of earthquakes.
Posted December 6, 2024
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