 This paper provides a systematic review of satellite-based studies on surface urban heat island, Suhi, from 1972 to present. The research has shown an exponential increase since 2005, with preferences for certain geographic areas, time periods, and research foci. The most commonly used sensors are the Landsat thematic mapper, TM, slash enhanced thematic mapper, ETM plus, slash thermal infrared sensor, TIRS, and Terra slash Aqua moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer, MODIS. The study confirms that large spatial and temporal variations of Suhi are contributed by various factors such as impervious surface area, vegetation cover, landscape structure, albedo, and climate. However, data and methodological limitations hinder the applications of Suhi research. Potential directions for future efforts include improving LST data quality and quantity, examining Suhi intensity and inter-annual variability, scaling issues, the relationship between surface and subsurface UHIs, and integrating remote sensing with field observations and numeric modeling. This article was authored by Diching Zhou, Jingfeng Xiao, Stefania Bonifony, and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.