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Observing the Earth Archive

Observing the Earth

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Following International Mountain Day, which creates awareness of the importance of mountain environments around the world, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the Pariacaca Mountain Range in Peru.

This Copernicus Sentinel-1 image features part of the Badain Jaran Desert in northwestern China.

Puttalam district in North Western Sri Lanka is currently facing severe flooding, landslides and rockfalls, caused by heavy monsoon rains across the region. Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured an image over the region yesterday, 30 November 2025, as well an image one month ago, showing the extent of flooding.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures a spectacular geological wonder in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania: the Richat Structure.

The Hayli Gubbi volcano in northeast Ethiopia, dormant for up to 12 000 years, erupted on 23 November 2025, sending a large plume of ash and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Copernicus Sentinel-5P captured the spread of the sulphur dioxide.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over one of Earth’s most extreme environments: the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.

This very high-resolution image captures the beautiful medieval core of the Czech capital, Prague.

Ahead of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP30) taking place in Belém, Brazil, from 10-21 November, this IRIDE image shows the Branco River and its surrounding forests in the Brazilian state of Roraima.

To celebrate Halloween, we bring you these spooky sights of Lake Carnegie in Australia, captured from space by Copernicus Sentinel-2.

This image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission show Hurricane Melissa as it barrelled through the Caribbean Sea

Sentinel-1D encapsulated inside Ariane 6 fairing

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the meandering course of the Likouala-aux-Herbes river in the Republic of the Congo.

The changing face of the Chilean glaciers in the Laguna San Rafael National Park is featured in these satellite images from 1987 and 2024.

This wide view of Copernicus Sentinel-3 shows Cyclone Errol heading towards the coast of Western Australia.

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures an active lava lake on the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Part of the icy landscape of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest national park in the world, is pictured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures a cloud-free view over the island of Komodo in southeastern Indonesia.

First view of aerosols from MetOp Second Generation’s 3MI instrument

Part of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia is featured in this image, captured by the Φsat-2 mission in June 2025.

This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image shows high concentrations of chlorophyll in yellow-green along the coastline of South Australia, near Adelaide. Chlorophyll-a is a key indicator of the presence of algae in the ocean.

The development of ESA’s Earth Explorer FLEX mission has recently passed a significant milestone: the mission’s all-important instrument has been joined to its satellite platform.

MetOp-SG-A1 and Sentinel-5 ready for liftoff

Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured wildfires burning in northern Portugal on Wednesday, 30 July.

The turquoise waters southeast of the Kuwaiti island of Failaka are captured in this image acquired by the Φsat-2 mission.

This image from Copernicus Sentinel-1 shows circular agricultural structures near Tabarjal, in the barren desert of northern Saudi Arabia.

The varied landscape of England’s Lake District is featured in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.

Earth from Space: Zanzibar, Tanzania

A powerful heatwave has been gripping large parts of southern Europe. This image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission’s Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer on 29 June 2025, reveals the temperature of the land surface.

A close-up view of Vienna, Austria’s capital city, is featured in this image from April 2025.

Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this image over part of eastern Borneo, a tropical island in Southeast Asia.

A thick plume of sand and dust from the Sahara Desert is seen in these satellite images blowing from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has captured a dramatic image of Mount Etna erupting on 2 June 2025 when a massive plume of ash, gas and rock suddenly burst from Europe's largest active volcano.

The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission shows us a rare, cloud-free view of Iceland captured on 17 May 2025.

MTG-S and Sentinel-4 undergo pre-launch manoeuvres

Lake Alakol in eastern Kazakhstan is featured in this radar image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-1.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission brings us this cloud-free view of Svalbard, a remote Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

Part of the Italian island of Sardinia is featured in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.

The Ocean and Land Colour Instrument on Copernicus Sentinel-3 captured this image of Earth’s biggest iceberg, A23a, on 5 April 2025.

Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this radar image over French Guiana – home to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where ESA’s Biomass mission is being prepared for liftoff on 29 April onboard a Vega-C rocket.

ESA’s Biomass satellite, encapsulated within a Vega-C rocket fairing, has been rolled out to the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of liftoff, planned for 29 April at 11:15 CEST.

This very high-resolution image captures the Egyptian city of Giza and its surrounding area, including the world-famous Giza Pyramid Complex.

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of one of the world’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission shows us what is left of the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest lake in the world.

Mandalay rupture

Biomass cleared for fuelling

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures the striking landscape surrounding the Waza National Park in Cameroon.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

Biomass out of the box

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image showcases striking rocky formations amid the blue waters of Halong Bay in northeast Vietnam.

Three MetOp-SG-B weather siblings

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