Earth TOP STORY

Image: Pavlof Volcano As Seen From ISS

© NASA

Pavlof Volcano

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed this striking view of Pavlof Volcano on May 18, 2013. The oblique perspective from the ISS reveals the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which is often obscured by the top-down view of most remote sensing satellites.


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Image: Strong Storms Over Oklahoma

© NASA

Oklahoma on Monday Afternoon

This image of the storm system that generated the F-4 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma was taken by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard one of the Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites.

Collaborative Planning for IceBridge Science

Collaborative Planning for IceBridge Science

George Hale: Success in science often relies as much on planning, communication, and constant improvement as it does on gathering data, writing papers, and giving lectures. This is especially true for large scientific missions like NASA's Operation IceBridge.


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada At Night As Seen From Orbit

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada At Night As Seen From Orbit

One of the crew members aboard the International Space Station photographed this might image of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on March 31, 2013.


Cubesat Constellation May Gather Earth Energy Imbalance Measurements

Cubesat Constellation May Gather Earth Energy Imbalance Measurements

A team of scientists has won a berth on a tiny satellite to explore one of NASA's most important frontiers in climate studies: the imbalance in Earth's energy budget and the extent to which fast-changing phenomena, like clouds, contribute to that imbalance.


Clearwater Lakes - Dual Impact Craters

Clearwater Lakes - Dual Impact Craters

This Landsat image from 9 September 2010 features the Clearwater Lakes in Canada's Quebec province. Located to the east of the Hudson Bay, what appears to be two separate lakes is actually a single body of water that fills two depressions. The depressions were created by two meteorite impacts, believed to have hit Earth simultaneously up to 290 million years ago.


GROVER Debuts On Greenland's Ice Sheet

GROVER Debuts On Greenland's Ice Sheet

NASA's new Earth-bound rover began testing on the Greenland ice sheet this week. GROVER, which stands for both Greenland Rover and Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research, is an autonomous, solar-operated robot that carries a ground-penetrating radar to examine the layers of Greenland's ice sheet.


Australia As Seen From Orbit

Australia As Seen From Orbit

The sun is about to set in this scene showing parts of southwestern Australia, which was photographed by one of the Expedition 35 crew members aboard the International Space Station on April 1, 2013.


Dust Plumes Off of Namibia

Dust Plumes Off of Namibia

Dust plumes blew off the coast of Namibia in early May 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this natural-color image on May 5, 2013. Parallel plumes blew toward the southwest, many of them coalescing into larger plumes over the Atlantic Ocean.


Rover Prototype Set to Explore Greenland Ice Sheet

Rover Prototype Set to Explore Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA's newest scientific rover is set for testing May 3 through June 8 in the highest part of Greenland. The robot known as GROVER, which stands for both Greenland Rover and Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research, will roam the frigid landscape collecting measurements to help scientists better understand changes in the massive ice sheet. This autonomous, solar-powered robot carries a ground-penetrating radar to study how snow accumulates, adding layer upon layer to the ice sheet over time.


Springtime in the Bay of Biscay

Springtime in the Bay of Biscay

Springtime in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France, as in most places, is a season of abundant growth. On April 20, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the dynamic growth of a springtime phytoplankton bloom.


Tripoli, Libya At Night As Seen From Orbit

Tripoli, Libya At Night As Seen From Orbit

One of the Expedition 35 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station photographed this night image of Tripoli, Libya on April 18, 2013.


South Georgia Island As Seen From Space

South Georgia Island As Seen From Space

This photograph from the International Space Station (ISS) shows the eastern half of South Georgia Island. At 54 degrees South latitude, snow and ice are permanent everywhere on the island except at altitudes near sea level, where temperatures are higher.


Image: Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord

Image: Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord

This image of Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Fjord with Kap Atholl in the background was taken during an Operation IceBridge survey flight in April, 2013. Sea ice coverage in the fjord ranges from thicker, white ice seen in the background, to thinner grease ice and leads showing open ocean water in the foreground.


Image from Space: Fires in Nepal

Image from Space: Fires in Nepal

Agricultural fires are set all over the world at different times to prepare the soil for the planting of new crops. Several fires in India and many dozen fires in Nepal have been set and are burning in this image from April 13, 2013. This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite.


Navy Research Vessel Named After Sally Ride

Navy Research Vessel Named After Sally Ride

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the names of seven ships. Included is an ocean-class auxiliary general oceanographic research (AGOR) ship, the R/V Sally Ride.


Earth from Space: America's Tuscany

Earth from Space: America's Tuscany Video in Story

Rolling hills of farmland in the northwest United States are pictured in this image from the Kompsat-2 satellite. Acquired over Washington state, the south and west areas of the image are in Walla Walla county, while the central-eastern-upper area is Columbia County.


NOAA-17 Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite Retired

NOAA-17 Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite Retired

After nearly 11 years of helping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict weather and climate patterns and save lives in search and rescue operations, NOAA announced today it has turned off the NOAA-17 Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES).


Topography of The Antarctic Seafloor in Unprecedented Detail

Topography of The Antarctic Seafloor in Unprecedented Detail

Reliable information on the depth and floor structure of the Southern Ocean has so far been available for only few coastal regions of the Antarctic. An international team of scientists under the leadership of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, has for the first time succeeded in creating a digital map of the entire Antarctic seafloor.



More top stories from May.