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.
PACE and Climate Change
Launching in February 2024, NASA’s newest Earth-observing satellite, called PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem), will help us better understand how climate change is affecting blooms of ocean phytoplankton. PACE will also help decipher how particles in the air (like dust and smoke) can influence cloud formation and the warming and cooling of the planet.
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Recent News
How Do We Know What Earth's Climate Was Like Long Ago?
If you look closely, there are clues just about everywhere across our globe. Some are easy to see and others are more subtle. NASA climate scientist Dr. Gavin Schmidt explains.
Greenhouse Gases
NASA has several instruments and tools for measuring and modeling greenhouse gases – where they come from, where they go, and how they are driving climate change. The agency works with federal, state, and international partners to make this information freely available.
NASA, Partners Launch US Greenhouse Gas Center to Share Climate Data
Images of the Day
Indonesia’s Mahakam Delta
Once covered in palms and mangroves, about half of this wetland has been converted for aquaculture.
Another Puff of Ash from Popocatépetl
The towering volcano has been erupting for decades, with near constant gas emissions venting from the crater punctuated by bursts of ash.
Saharan Dust Blows Toward Europe
Sustained winds carried desert dust over the ocean, where it engulfed island groups and then streamed toward the United Kingdom.
Retreat at Klinaklini
The large Coast Range glacier is one of thousands in western Canada that have shrunk in recent decades as temperatures rise.
Mount Shasta in Winter
The iconic volcano of Northern California is home to seven glaciers that become buried in a blanket of snow during winter.
Signs of Sulfates Over Zavodovski Island
Clouds trailing the remote island in the South Atlantic appeared brighter than usual because of volcanic aerosols.
Copper Mining at Chuquicamata
Located in northern Chile, one of the deepest open-pit mines in the world has transitioned underground to extract valuable metals.
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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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.
