Earth Observatory

Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Ocean Circulation
Sea Ice
During the 2022 summer melt season, sediment plumes and fractured sea ice traced swirling eddies in a branch of the Nansen Sound fjord system in the Canadian Arctic.
Posted March 16, 2026
Astrobiology
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Landsat 9
Planetary Analogs
Surface Water
Water on Earth
Lake Unter-See in Antarctica, sealed beneath thick ice, contains unusually high levels of dissolved oxygen and cone-shaped microbial reefs resembling some of Earth’s oldest fossils.
Posted March 11, 2026
Earth Observatory
Your challenge is to tell us the location of the satellite image and why it is interesting.
Posted March 10, 2026
Earth Observatory
Sun-Earth Interactions
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
A series of nighttime satellite images revealed how moonlight reaching Earth varied throughout a total lunar eclipse.
Posted March 10, 2026
Carbon Cycle
Earth Observatory
Ice & Glaciers
Oceans
Water Blooms
As Iceberg A-23A disintegrated, it shed meltwater that helped fuel an extensive phytoplankton bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Posted March 6, 2026
Apollo
Earth Observatory
Human Dimensions
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Surface Water
Water on Earth
A NASA luminary from the Apollo era grew up in Wales near Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Posted March 5, 2026
Earth Observatory
Land Cover
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Surface Water
Oklahoma’s Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge attracts rare and diverse species—and enthusiasts looking for a distinct type of crystallized gypsum.
Posted March 4, 2026
Aqua
Earth Observatory
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Wildfires
The National fire has burned tens of thousands of acres within the Florida preserve, fueled by vegetation dried by prolonged drought and killed by recent frost.
Posted March 3, 2026
Earth Observatory
Earth Surface & Interior
Landsat 8 / LDCM (Landsat Data Continuity Mission)
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Planetary Analogs
Volcanoes
The hill-shaped features are a sign of explosive volcanic activity—a rarity on the Red Planet.
Posted March 2, 2026
Earth Observatory
Extreme Weather Events
Landsat 1
Sea Ice
Nearly 50 years ago, the first Landsat satellite captured the rare sight of Mid-Atlantic waterways frozen over.
Posted February 27, 2026
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