Every month, NASA Earth Observatory releases a satellite image and dares the public to identify its location. The June 2026 puzzler is now live, inviting amateur sleuths to stare at pixels and guess.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: identify the location shown. You can keep it simple with just a name, or go full orbital nerd by naming the satellite, instrument, and spectral bands used. Spot a subtle geological feature? Know the area's history? It's your home? NASA wants to hear it all.
The prize? Not cash. Not a trip to space. But something almost as rewarding: puzzler bragging rights. About a week after the challenge, NASA will post the answer at the top of the page, along with a link to an Earth Observatory Image of the Day story that explains the image in detail. The first correct guesser gets recognized; particularly thoughtful answers may also get a shoutout. By submitting, you acknowledge your comments may be edited, excerpted, and published.
Until then, zoom in, look closely, and enjoy the challenge. See you at the reveal - where someone will inevitably say 'I knew that was the Gobi Desert.'