Earth’s temperature depends on how much sunlight the land, oceans, and atmosphere absorb, and how much heat the planet radiates back to space. This fact sheet describes the net flow of energy through different parts of the Earth system, and explains how the planetary energy budget stays in balance.
In 2008, as NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Earth Observatory asked a number of Earth scientists what we have learned about our home planet by going into space.
Scientists revise their conclusion that the ocean has cooled since 2003.
Composite satellite images of the entire Earth.
Hands-on educational activities.
A catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet.
View, download, and analyze imagery of Earth science data.
NASA’s Eyes on the Earth
