New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Area

The New York–Newark–Jersey City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which spans 23 counties across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and has a population of about 19.9 million, is pictured at approximately 3:29 a.m. local time Dec. 20, 2025, from the International Space Station as it orbited 262 miles above the Atlantic coast.

Crew members aboard the orbital lab have produced hundreds of thousands of images of the land, oceans, and atmosphere of Earth, and even of the Moon through Crew Earth Observations. Their photographs of Earth record how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. This allows scientists to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground and study a number of phenomena, from the movement of glaciers to urban wildlife.

Image credit: NASA

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Monika Luabeya

La NASA publica datos de la temperatura global

Read this press release in English here.

La temperatura global de la superficie terrestre en 2025 fue un poco más cálida que en 2023 pero, dentro de los márgenes de error, ambos años está prácticamente empatados, según un análisis realizado por científicos de la NASA. Desde que comenzaron los registros en 1880, 2024 sigue siendo el año más caluroso.

Las temperaturas globales en 2025 fueron más frías que en 2024, con temperaturas promedio de 1,19° Celsius (2,14° Fahrenheit) por encima del promedio para el período de 1951 a 1980.

El análisis del Instituto Goddard de Estudios Espaciales de la NASA incluye datos de la temperatura del aire obtenidos por más de 25.000 estaciones meteorológicas en todo el mundo, así como por instrumentos a bordo de barcos y boyas que miden la temperatura de la superficie del mar, y estaciones de investigación en la Antártida. Los datos son analizados utilizando métodos que toman en cuenta la distribución cambiante de las estaciones de medición de temperatura y los efectos del calentamiento urbano que podrían sesgar los cálculos.

Además, análisis independientes realizados por la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés), la plataforma Berkeley Earth, el Centro Hadley (que forma parte del servicio meteorológico nacional del Reino Unido) y los Servicios Climáticos Copernicus de Europa han concluido que la temperatura global de la superficie para 2025 ha sido la tercera más calurosa que se haya registrado. Estos científicos utilizan gran parte de los mismos datos de temperatura en sus análisis, pero emplean diferentes metodologías y modelos; todos ellos muestran la misma tendencia al calentamiento continuo.

El conjunto completo de datos de la NASA sobre las temperaturas de la superficie global, así como los detalles de cómo los científicos de la NASA llevaron a cabo el análisis, están disponibles públicamente en línea (en inglés).

Para obtener más información sobre los programas de ciencias de la Tierra de la NASA, visita el sitio web:

https://ciencia.nasa.gov/tierra

-fin-

Liz Vlock / María José Viñas
Sede central, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov / maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov

Peter Jacobs
Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard, Greenbelt, MD
301-286-0535
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov

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Jessica Taveau

NASA Releases Global Temperature Data

Lee este comunicado de prensa en español aquí.

Earth’s global surface temperature in 2025 was slightly warmer than 2023 – but within the margin of error the two years are effectively tied according to an analysis by NASA scientists. Since record-keeping began in 1880, the hottest year on record remains 2024. 

Global temperatures in 2025 were cooler than 2024, with average temperatures of 2.14 degrees Fahrenheit (1.19 degrees Celsius) above the 1951 to 1980 average.

The analysis from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies includes air temperature data acquired by more than 25,000 meteorological stations around the world, from ship- and buoy-based instruments measuring sea surface temperature, and Antarctic research stations. The data are analyzed using methods that account for the changing distribution of temperature stations and for urban heating effects that could skew the calculations.

Additionally, independent analyses by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Berkeley Earth, the Hadley Centre (part of the United Kingdom’s weather forecasting Met Office), and Copernicus Climate Services in Europe have concluded the global surface temperature for 2025 was the third warmest on record. These scientists use much of the same temperature data in their analyses but employ different methodologies and models, which exhibit the same ongoing warming trend.

NASA’s full dataset of global surface temperatures, as well as details of how agency scientists conducted the analysis are available online.

For more information about NASA’s Earth science programs, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/earth

-end-

Liz Vlock
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov

Peter Jacobs
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-3308
peter.jacobs@nasa.gov

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Jessica Taveau

Hubble Observes Stars Flaring to Life in Orion

Just-forming stars, called protostars, dazzle a cloudy landscape in the Orion Molecular Cloud complex (OMC). These three new images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope were taken as part of an effort to learn more about the envelopes of gas and dust surrounding the protostars, as well as the outflow cavities where stellar winds and jets from the developing stars have carved away at the surrounding gas and dust.

Scientists used these Hubble observations as part of a broader survey to study protostellar envelopes, or the gas and dust around the developing star. Researchers found no evidence that the outflow cavities were growing as the protostar moved through the later stages of star formation. They also found that the decreasing accretion of mass onto the protostars over time and the low rate of star formation in the cool, molecular clouds cannot be explained by the progressive clearing out of the envelopes.

The OMC lies within the “sword” of the constellation Orion, roughly 1,300 light-years away.

This Hubble image shows a small group of young stars amidst molecular clouds of gas and dust. Near the center of the image, concealed behind the dusty clouds, lies the protostar HOPS 181. The long, curved arc in the top left of the image is shaped by the outflow of material coming from the protostar, likely from the jets of particles shot out at high speeds from the protostar’s magnetic poles. The light of nearby stars reflects off and is scattered by dust grains that fill the image, giving the region its soft glow.

The bright star in the lower right quadrant called CVSO 188 might seem like the diva in this image, but HOPS 310, located just to the left of center behind the dust, is the true hidden star. This protostar is responsible for the large cavity with bright walls that has been carved into the surrounding cloud of gas and dust by its jets and stellar winds. Running diagonally to the top right is one of the bipolar jets of the protostar. These jets consist of particles launched at high speeds from the protostar’s magnetic poles. Some background galaxies are visible in the upper right of the image.

The bright protostar to the left in this Hubble image is located within the Orion Molecular Clouds. Its stellar winds — ejected, fast-flowing particles that are spurred by the star’s magnetic field — have carved a large cavity in the surrounding cloud. In the top right, background stars speckle the image.

New images added every day between January 12-17, 2026! Follow @NASAHubble on social media for the latest Hubble images and news and see Hubble’s Stellar Construction Zones for more images of young stellar objects.

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Media Contact:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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