NASA has carried out some notable rescue missions over the past few years, including bringing home the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station last year. More recently, the agency sent up a probe in hopes of saving the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a satellite first launched in 2004 that began falling out of our
Algorithm NASA first applied to satellite imagery is now used to peer into antiquity High in the central tower in the ancient Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat, paintings depict horseback riders and a traditional musical ensemble. Thousands of visitors pass these images daily without noticing, because they’re faded to the point of invisibility. They were discovered between 2010 and 2012, along with about 200
The flash flood destroyed many buildings and left villages covered in mud and debris.Credit: Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty The high-altitude collapse of rock and ice that triggered a catastrophic flash flood near the Nepal–Tibet border on 26 August has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives. More than 4,000 people remain missing. Manoochehr Shirzaei, a
Burning Man is transforming Nevada’s Black Rock Desert into a temporary metropolis once again. Thousands of participants began entering the gates at midnight on August 30, hauling the food, water, shelter, and supplies needed to survive a week in the remote playa about 80 miles north of Reno. Roughly 70,000 people are expected to attend
Every month, NASA Earth Observatory features a puzzling satellite image. The September 2026 puzzler appears above. Your ChallengeIdentify the location shown in this satellite image. Share what clues you see, where you think it is, and what makes this place interesting or unique to you. How to AnswerSubmit your response using this form and select “Puzzler Answer” as the
This destructive path continues westwards along with the swelled river, before heading southwards. Satellite images also show the formation of a barrier lake at the base of the landslide’s path, which Chinese authorities have warned poses a major risk of further flooding and has hampered rescue efforts. Dr Argha Banerjee, a glaciologist at the Indian
