Suggested Searches

A V-shaped fjord cuts through barren brown land, with one patch of swirling water marked by white sea ice and another one colored turquoise by suspended sediment. Glacial ice flows into the fjord in several places.
The upper slopes of Mayon volcano appear brown, with several narrow channels radiating from the crater. A red infrared heat signature appears near the summit, with red streaks extending east and southeast. The lower slopes are green and forested. Farmland and towns are visible in the lower part of the image.
A thick layer of white snow blankets the Kamchatka Peninsula. Layers of clouds surround the peninsula, framing it but leaving its coastlines and a narrow portion of ocean visible around it. On land, several large, circular volcanoes dot the rugged landscape.

Earth Observatory

NASA's Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day – the images, stories, and discoveries about the environment, Earth systems, and climate that emerge from NASA research.

Image of the Day

The Birthplace of the United States
3 min read

It was here the founders shaped the future of American government.

Jul 3, 2026
Colonial National Historical Park
2 min read

The colonial communities of “America’s historic triangle” played defining roles in the road to American independence.

Jul 2, 2026
Minute Man National Historical Park
3 min read

Sites relevant to the start of the American Revolutionary War are interspersed throughout the modern-day Boston metropolitan region.

Jul 1, 2026

American Historical Landscapes

From Civil War battlegrounds to industrial landmarks to the country’s earliest national parks, these places helped shape the United States we know today.

View this new collection about American Historical Landscapes
Washington on the Potomac River

Get the Earth Observatory in your Inbox

Subscribe to our newsletters

We will never share your email address.

Sign Up