Acquired December 11, 2009, these true-color images show a wide-area and two close-up views of plumes from Kilauea, including plumes from Halema'uma'u and Pu'u O'o Craters.

A small plume of ash and/or steam is blowing west from the summit of Mayon Volcano in this image from December 15, 2009.

Acquired December 14, 2009, this true-color image of northern India and Bangladesh shows thick haze hugging the soutehrn face of the Himalaya.

A fire in a Western Australia state forest near Dwellingup billows smoke over the Indian Ocean on December 15, 2009.

NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite has captured five complete polar seasons of noctilucent (NLC) or 'night-shining' clouds with an unprecedented horizontal resolution of 3 miles by 3 miles.

Black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers has contributed significantly to the retreat of the world's largest non-polar ice masses, according to new research.

New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers for California's primary agricultural region -- the Central Valley -- and its major mountain water source -- the Sierra Nevadas -- have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake

NASA researchers studying have found that the intensity of the "heat island" created by a city depends on the ecosystem it replaced and on the regional climate.

Of the many dangers that plague commercial airplanes, icing stands out as one of the most treacherous.

With each additional day and year that the Terra satellite monitors Earth, scientists achieve a strengthened record of Earth's vital signs; here's a sample of the latest developments to be presented by Terra researchers at the Fall Meeting of the

For the first time, NASA scientists are accurately calculating the level of damaging radiation people are exposed to on commercial airline flights.

Researchers studying carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas and a key driver of global climate change, have a new tool: daily global measurements of carbon dioxide in a key part of our atmosphere.

Next-generation interactive moon mission simulations, social networking curricula centered on missions to Mars, and engineering design challenges are among 13 education projects NASA has selected for funding.

NASA has purchased two reusable solid rocket motors from ATK Launch Systems Inc. of Brigham City, Utah, to provide a "launch on need" rescue capability for the final planned space shuttle mission, targeted for September 2010.

Astronauts are not the only ones earning wings on the International Space Station. Butterflies emerged aboard the station recently, to the delight of science students across the country.

NASA and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have signed a joint statement that allows for collaboration in lunar and asteroid science research.