Cyclone Seroja Slams Australia, Causing Significant Damage to Coastal Towns
The category three cyclone made a rare landfall in Western Australia, causing significant damage to coastal towns. On April 11, 2021, a category three storm…
Earth Observatory News
A New Artificial Island: Preparing for Rising Seas in the Maldives
A new artificial island near Malé could be a destination for people trying to escape rising waters on lower-lying islands. With more than 80 percent…
A Striking Colorful Confluence in the Canadian Arctic
The Back and Hayes rivers in Nunavut, Canada, display a striking contrast in color. Where two rivers meet without mixing much, the colorful contrast can…
NASA’s Line From Spain to Deep Space
Radio antennas at the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex help scientists on Earth keep in touch with distant satellites. NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) is…
Western U.S. Drought Conditions Continue in Spring 2021 – And It’s Expected to Worsen
The western United States is currently experiencing moderate to severe drought, and it is expected to worsen in upcoming months. Almost half of the United…
NASA Satellites Capture Traffic Jam on the Suez Canal
Hundreds of ships have been left idling around the key shipping route. Nature played a role in solving the problem. One of the world’s most…
Red Sea Rainforests: Coral Reef Ecosystems Thrive off the Coast of Saudi Arabia
Looking down from the International Space Station (ISS), an astronaut captured this view of the northwest coastline of Saudi Arabia, where up to 260 coral reef…
NASA Satellite Captures a Nighttime Volcanic Eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula
Lava from the volcanic eruption on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula lights up clouds from below. After the start of an eruption near Fagradalsfjall—a shield volcano on…
Does COVID-19 Have Seasons? An Update With the Latest From the World Meteorological Organization
According to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization, seasonal weather conditions have not yet played a large role in influencing the spread of…
Volcanic Eruption Lights Up Iceland Following Swarms of Small Earthquakes
In an eruption not far from Reykjavik, Iceland, lava poured from spatter cones along a new fissure on Reykjanes peninsula. Swarms of small earthquakes in…
Massive Plume of Sand and Dust Has Blanketed Northern China
Early Season Dust Storm Hits Beijing Meteorological spring is just getting underway, and already an enormous plume of sand and dust has blanketed northern China….
Ol Doinyo Lengai: The Symmetric “Mountain of God” in Tanzania Is Part of the East African Rift System
Ol Doinyo Lengai—known to the local Maasai people as the “Mountain of God”—is a stratovolcano in Tanzania with unique geological characteristics. This photograph, taken by…
Unexpected Decrease in Air Pollution Over Parts of Africa
Changes in fire patterns have led to seasonal reductions in nitrogen dioxide pollution. Despite growing use of fossil fuels in many African countries due to…
Torrential Downpours and Destructive Flash Floods Swamp Hawaii
Flash floods, landslides, and power outages plagued the islands after torrential rains fell. Torrential downpours and destructive flash floods swamped parts of Hawaii in March…
Ten Years After the Tsunami: One of the Hardest Hit Coastal Cities in Japan Is Still Working to Recover
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake jolted the seafloor about 70 kilometers (45 miles) offshore of Japan’s Tohoku region. It was the largest…
Fisheye Over Sinai: Capturing the Intersection of Two Continents From Space
Astronaut Andrew Morgan used a fisheye lens to capture the intersection of two continents. Astronaut Andrew Morgan shot this wide-angle photograph from the central Cupola…
Wild Swings in Great Lakes Ice Captured From Space
Despite a cold snap in February, low ice cover prevailed across the lakes in winter 2020-2021. In any given year, the formation, movement, and timing…
Himalayas, Near and Far: Two Astronauts. Two Clear Days. Two Gorgeous Views.
Two astronauts. Two clear days. Two gorgeous views around the roof of the world. Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) shot these photographs of…
