From the petroglyphs of ancient societies to the stunning views of our planet from space, humans have endeavored to visualize and accurately map our world. As early geographers recorded the experiences from travelers and merchants, they created lists of places and geographic features. To spatially represent these data, geographers mapped the distances between features from the perspective of the traveler. Maps have aided navigation, settled disputes, and illustrated the extent of an Empire’s power. Beyond these and other utilitarian uses for maps, the desire to discover what was beyond the edges of the map–to venture into the unknown–brought about an Age of Exploration that continues into the 21st century with space exploration. [more]
A Planet in Focus – Landsat 7’s Legacy
Celebrating the 25-year mission of Landsat 7, a NASA/USGS satellite that revolutionized Earth observation with high-resolution imagery used in agriculture, disaster response, climate research, and more.
Shifting Coastlines in the Arctic
The Arctic is changing rapidly. Recent research unveiled a new dataset of 40 years of coastlines shifting across the Arctic.
A Final Farewell to Landsat 7
The Landsat 7 satellite launched in April 1999 and will be decommissioned after 26 years in orbit. Its science mission, focused on collecting imagery data of Earth’s land and inland waters, spanned 25 years.
Undamming the Klamath
Between October 2023 and October 2024, the four dams of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project were taken down, opening more than 400 miles of salmon habitat.
Saudi Arabia’s Desert Agriculture
In this animation of 2024 and January 2025, crop fields in Saudi Arabia cycle through their growing seasons.
Landsat at Work: Conserving Water and Growing High Quality Grapes
Using Landsat’s thermal imagery, researchers at Gallo Winery have been able to better understand vineyard water needs and optimize irrigation.
Forty Years of Change in Louisiana’s Wetlands
Landsat images show that in the past 40 years alone, Louisiana’s coastal wetlands have undergone substantial changes.
Hispaniola’s Changing Forests
Haiti lost nearly half of its primary forests between 1996 and 2022, with fires and tree-cutting being major drivers of loss, according to a new study.
NASA Celebrates Earth Day with Your Name in Landsat
On April, 22, 2025, NASA celebrated Earth Day as only NASA can: with beautiful Landsat imagery of our home planet.
