A new simulation produced by NASA’s Data Visualization Studio packs four months of swirling atmospheric activity into a two minute clip that reminds us how unrelenting this past hurricane season really was.

We are visual beings: Our perception of the world is intrinsically tied to our ability to perceive light. But what about the places where light doesn’t fall? Do places in shadow still encode information for the visual cortex to process? Can shadows actually tell us something meaningful about the landscapes they darken?

There are thousands of ships sailing the seas to catch the fish you eat, and now you can watch them sail the ocean in almost real-time on this interactive map

We just had the warmest August on record, which also tied last month for the warmest month ever recorded. But it’s the overall trend that’s truly scary, and now you can watch it unfold right before your eyes.

We’re in the midst of a long, sustained drought that’s been unfolding for the past several years. But just how hard has that drought hit in different parts of the United States? This maps shows exactly.

A new visualization of US Census Bureau data reveals—in soothingly colorful bars and interactive key metrics—that married people are the weird ones. And you’d be surprised how many Americans get married at 15.

We know our food is incredibly well traveled, but just where does your food come from? A new set of interactive charts help you trace the often serpentine route from farm to table.

Climate change is real, it’s happening right now, and it’s pushing us into an increasingly grim-looking future. Still don’t believe it? Take a look at this graph.

Inspired by the confirmation of gravitational waves, British composer Arthur Jeffes has taken data from the LIGO experiment and set it to music. Without a doubt, these billion-year-old ripples coursing through the fabric of spacetime never sounded so good.

If you have’t taken a moment to appreciate the fact that hundreds of Earth-orbiting satellites are photographing our planet right now, and that this is a goddamn technological wonder, here’s your opportunity.

Most of us know that “the” is the most common word in the English language. But what are some other high-frequency words, both long and short? This amazing animated data bubble visualization by Abacaba provides the answers.