Latest News About Earth
The ocean touches everything: Celebrate Earth Day with NASA
April 12, 2024
Learn how NASA investigates the blue in our Blue Planet Read more
A holistic look at Earth's chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable
March 18, 2024
We may not fully appreciate how good we have it on this planet Read more
Giant impacts might have triggered snowball Earth events
March 15, 2024
Running into the right space rock at the right time may have been enough to tip Earth into a runaway cold spell Read more
Mars attracts: How the Red Planet influences Earth's climate and seas
March 12, 2024
We were surprised to find these 2.4-million-year cycles in our deep-sea sedimentary data Read more
How much water is in Earth's crust?
March 9, 2024
More of Earth's water is held underground in the soil or in pores in rock than in Earth's ice caps and glaciers Read more
If aliens had our life-hunting equipment, could they find us?
March 4, 2024
Scientists have discovered that life may exist on Earth — wait, what? Read more
Using AI to enhance satellite imagery to monitor the planet
February 27, 2024
The AI-powered method reduces the cost of Earth Observation satellites while keeping the quality of images high Read more
What a major solar storm could do to our planet
February 26, 2024
Disturbances on the sun may have the potential to devastate our power grid and communication systems Read more
The Earth is getting greener. Hurray?
February 7, 2024
Humans are literally changing the color of the planet. Scientists are worried Read more
New NASA Earth science mission could change the way we see our planet
February 5, 2024
It aims to increase our understanding of the carbon cycle, pollution, and plankton Read more
Earth's building blocks contained water before it was a full planet
January 10, 2024
Was our planet inherently wet, or did it acquire its water later? Read more
Earth's intense gravity may rip space rocks apart, reducing the risk of 'planet killer' asteroids
January 1, 2024
But this creates more streams of smaller asteroids Read more
10 dramatic discoveries about Earth from 2023
December 28, 2023
Here are some of the most significant events about planet Earth Read more
Ancient bricks baked when Nebuchadnezzar II was king absorbed a power surge in Earth’s magnetic field
December 27, 2023
People at the time probably never even noticed the fluctuation Read more
Earth's core seems to mysteriously wobble every 8.5 years
December 22, 2023
The discovery could be a game-changer for the way we understand the inner workings of our world Read more
Deep within an inhospitable desert, a window to first life on Earth
December 6, 2023
This alien environment, previously unknown to science, is a system of lagoons surrounded by vast salt plains Read more
Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along
December 6, 2023
This is contrary to theories that these elements came from meteorites Read more
What’s the big deal about Earth getting 2°C hotter?
December 1, 2023
The increase may sound inconsequential, but scientists say there are serious ramifications Read more
Earth's surface water can penetrate deep into the planet
November 14, 2023
The origin of the E prime layer has been a mystery — until now Read more
How global warming shakes the Earth
November 6, 2023
Seismic data show ocean waves gaining strength as the planet warms Read more
Earth is hiding another planet deep inside
November 3, 2023
New research strengthens the idea that Theia left some of its remains inside Earth Read more
The planet is heating up faster than predicted, says scientist who sounded climate alarm in the 1980s
November 2, 2023
A key global warming threshold could be breached this decade Read more
Earth’s core is leaking
October 30, 2023
Scientists have detected a surprising amount of a rare version of helium, called helium-3, in volcanic rocks Read more
Earth’s latest ‘vital signs’ show the planet is in crisis
October 24, 2023
The overall picture of Earth’s health is grim, although there are bright spots Read more
Burned-up space junk pollutes Earth's upper atmosphere
October 19, 2023
Chemicals created by fiery satellite re-entries could affect Earth's climate Read more
How would we know whether there is life on Earth?
October 16, 2023
This bold experiment found out Read more
New space-based thermometer takes Earth's temperature in unprecedented detail
October 6, 2023
The images reveal how trains move and how wildfires spread Read more
NASA announces summer 2023 hottest on record
September 14, 2023
August alone was 2.2 F warmer than the average from 1951 to 1980 Read more
How does Earth's relationship with the Sun affect our planet's climate?
September 12, 2023
Earth should actually be experiencing a cooling period right now Read more
The largest asteroid impact crater on Earth is lurking beneath Australia
August 14, 2023
The Deniliquin structure spans up to 520 km in diameter Read more
Fascinating Facts About Earth
- If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel.
- Earth completes an orbit of the Sun every 365.25 days; this is where the 366th day of the leap year comes from, and we add it to keep yearly calendars consistent with our orbit around the sun.
- Earth is the only planet not named after a god or goddess.
- Earth is different from the other rocky planets because 70 percent of its surface is covered in oceans. Although most of the Earth’s surface is covered in oceans, water only makes up 0.13% of the total volume of the planet. Hence, if Earth was the size of a basketball, all the water in the world would amount to two teaspoons.
- Earth's atmosphere protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our atmosphere before they can strike the surface as meteorites.
- The first being to orbit the Earth was Laika the dog in 1957. A few years later, dogs Belka and Strelka became the first creatures to return from space alive.
- Earth is the densest planet with a density of 5.52 grams per cubic centimeter. The density of water is 1 gram per cubic centimeter.
Missions
Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) (2018)
Mission to measure the height of a changing Earth
Soil Moisture Active Passive (2014)
Mission to provide soil moisture and freeze/thaw measurements
ISS-RapidScat (2014)
Mission to measure near-surface ocean wind speed and direction
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) (2014)
Mission to study atmospheric carbon dioxide
Landsat 8 (2013)
Mission to monitor, understand and manage resources
Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) (2013)
Mission to study moisture and chemical composition of upper atmosphere
Van Allen Probes (2012)
Mission to study Van Allen Radiation Belts around Earth
Suomi NPP (2011)
Mission to acquire land, ocean and atmospheric measurements
Glory (2011)
Mission to understand climate system
DISCOVER-AQ (2011)
Mission to measure difference in air quality in upper atmosphere and near surface
Aquarius (2011)
Mission to measure sea surface salinity
IceBridge (2009)
Mission to produce three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets
NOAA-N Prime (2009)
Mission to improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events
ARCTAS (2008)
Mission to study effect of air pollution in the Arctic
CloudSat (2006)
Mission to study role of clouds and atmospheric aerosols in climate, weather and air quality regulation
Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) (2006)
Mission to study role of clouds and atmospheric aerosols in climate, weather and air quality regulation
SERVIR (2005)
Mission to provide monitoring, imaging and mapping data and geospatial information
NOAA-N (2005)
Mission to collect information about the atmosphere and environment
Aura (2004)
Mission to study chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere
Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) (2003)
Mission to understand effect of atmosphere and climate change on polar masses
Aqua (2002)
Mission to collect a variety of global data sets from six observation instruments
Jason (2001)
Mission to continue study of ocean surface topography
Terra (1999)
Mission to collect observational data of Earth
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) (1997)
Mission to study rainfall for weather and climate research
Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) (1991)
Mission to study role of upper atmosphere in varying climate
Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (1983)
Network of specialized communications satellites to provide communication services to NASA spacecraft
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) (1975)
Mission to help meteorologists predict local weather events
Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) (1960)
Mission to provide operational climate data