Earth
Your home. Our Mission.
And the one planet that NASA studies more than any other.
NASA studies our own planet more than any other. We operate 26 missions in orbit and sponsor hundreds of research programs and studies each year. We observe our planet’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere, and measure how a change in one drives change in others. We develop new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected systems and we build long-term data records of how our planet evolves. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world.
Filling an Air Pollution Data Gap
Many cities have shortages of air quality monitors. NASA scientists have developed a tool called GEOS-CF that can help.
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Air Quality
Air pollution is a significant threat to human health and our environment. Instruments on NASA satellites, along with airborne and ground-based sensors, are constantly collecting data on major pollutants in our atmosphere.
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Recent News
Why Does Climate Change Matter?
Why does climate change matter? Because it's happening and we’re already feeling its effects around the world. But there's hope. NASA Chief Scientist and Senior Climate Advisor, Dr. Kate Calvin, explains how NASA collects data and develops tools that can help us better understand and prepare for climate change.
Images of the Day
Erebus Breaks Through
The fiery and icy upper reaches of the Antarctic volcano pierced through a canopy of clouds.
Streak of Snow in the Midwest
A winter storm plowed across several U.S. states after Thanksgiving.
Quelccaya Ice Cap Then and Now
Ice cores and satellite images are helping preserve the history of a disappearing ice cap in the Peruvian Andes.
Manifa Field Causeway
The causeway and its blocky “islands” off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia make oil drilling possible in the region’s shallow waters.
Malaspina Glacier in a Riot of Color
An unexpected color palette reveals the features of an iconic glacial landscape in southeastern Alaska.
Swirls in the Sky and Sea
Fluid dynamics put on a spectacular show around Norway’s remote Bear Island.
SWOT: The First Year
Launched in December 2022, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite – led by NASA and France's Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) – is giving scientists unprecedented detail about the water on Earth’s surface. Here are a few stories from its first year.
NASA has a unique vantage point for observing the beauty and wonder of Earth and for making sense of it. Looking back from space, astronaut Edgar Mitchell once called Earth “a sparkling blue and white jewel,” and it does dazzle the eye.
Earth: a photo-essay.
Earth Information Center (EIC)
Visit the EIC in person
In an interactive exhibit at NASA Headquarters in Washington, visitors are invited to see Earth as NASA and its research partners see it from space. Open to visitors from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET each Monday through Friday.
Visit the EIC Online
For six decades, satellites, sensors, and scientists have collected data on Earth’s land, water, air, and climate. On this website, you can glimpse what this data has taught us about sea level rise, air quality, wildfires, greenhouse gases, ice cover, and agriculture.
