Two NASA CubeSats designed to study tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and typhoons, are in orbit after successfully launching on May 8, 2023.
Plumes from Popocatépetl Volcano
Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. During the mountain’s current period of eruption, ongoing since 2005, volcanic emissions frequently billow from its summit crater.
Trailblazing Aeolus Mission Winding Down
On April 30, 2023, all nominal operations of Aeolus, the first mission to observe Earth’s wind profiles on a global scale, will conclude in preparation for a series of end-of-life activities.
Curious Tracks Across an Icy Fjord
Greenland lacks an obvious human fingerprint when viewed from space. Instead of sprawling cities or geometrically organized agriculture, an enormous ice sheet spans much of the island. But there is a fjord along the island’s southern perimeter where seasonal ice has temporarily revealed the presence of people.
Silhouette of a Solomon Island
Rennell Island is part of the Solomon Islands, a nation in the western Pacific Ocean located northeast of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea. Rennell, also known as Mu Nggava Island, lies 210 kilometers (130 miles) south of Guadalcanal—the nation’s main island.
Belize Coral Reef Risk
Using two decades of NASA satellite measurements stored in the cloud, scientists recently assessed the vulnerability of Belize’s renowned coral reefs to bleaching and collapse.
Joint NASA, CNES Water-Tracking Satellite Reveals First Stunning Views
The international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission–led by NASA and the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES)–sent back some of its first glimpses of water on the planet’s surface, showing ocean currents like the Gulf Stream in unprecedented detail.
Lava and Snow in Hawai’i
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed the island of Hawai’i and its snowcapped volcanoes Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
Ozone-Measuring Instrument on NOAA-21 Satellite Captures its First Images
On Feb. 9, 2023, an ozone-measuring instrument on the recently launched NOAA-21 satellite opened its doors and, over the course of a week, gathered data for its first global image.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy Lingers
For more than a month, Tropical Cyclone Freddy has cast about in the Indian Ocean, bringing powerful winds and downpours to anything in its long and wandering path.