This image captured by the L-band SAR instrument on the U.S.-Indian NISAR mission on

Nov. 10

, 2025, shows Seattle in the center of the image with Bainbridge Island at left.

The satellite can peer through clouds to view Earth’s surface below.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Seattle and Portland, Oregon, are among the cloudiest cities in the United States.

But that infamous cloud cover is no match for the U.S.-Indian Earth satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), which is designed to peer straight through clouds.

Doing so allows scientists to study the Pacific Northwest’s natural landmarks and bustling port cities like never before.

Comparing the highly detailed imagery from the NISAR mission over time can reveal subtle changes in forests, wetlands, urban areas, and infrastructure.

Radar images from the satellite — a joint effort between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) — can also detect subtle motions associated with volcanic activity, glacier movement, slips along faults, and…