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on august 4, 2005, the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (#aster) sensor on the #terra satellite captured this false-color image of the #mackenzie #river #delta in #canada. |
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a day after the summer solstice, a new moon passed in front of the sun to create an annular eclipse across large swaths of asia and africa. an astronaut aboard the international #spacestation shot this photograph of the moon’s shadow passing over china during the eclipse on june 21, 2020. |
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on july 17, 2015, the operational land imager (#oli) on #landsat 8 captured this image of the #trunk #reef near townsville, australia. |
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on may 9, 2004, the ikonos satellite captured this image of gooseneck state park in #utah. |
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on october 25, 2009, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (#modis) on nasa’s #aqua satellite captured this image of a #phytoplankton bloom off the coast of new zealand. |
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the images above show a portion of colca valley on june 7 and june 23, 2020, before and after the landslide. the images were acquired by the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8. the earthen dam created by the landslide is reported to be almost 50 meters (160 feet) high. |
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on august 3, 2015, the operational land imager (#oli) on #landsat 8 acquired this image of glaciers at the #sirmilik national park pond inlet in #mittimatalik, @canada. |
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these cloud patterns—known as von kármán vortices—are a familiar atmospheric phenomenon, especially in areas where trade winds are prevalent. the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite acquired this image of vortices near the canary islands on july 9, 2020. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this image of progreso's pier on november 5, 2014. according to gabriela garcía-rubio of the ensenada center for scientific research and higher education, light turquoise areas offshore are probably shallower than the darker areas. prevailing winds here typically blow from the east-northeast, producing short-period waves and carrying sediment westward along the shore. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this view of the lava field on january 3, 2015. the false-color images combine shortwave infrared, near infrared, and red light (oli bands 6-5-4). the plume of steam and sulfur dioxide appears white. newly-formed basaltic rock is black. fresh lava is bright orange. a lava lake is visible on the western part of the lava field, and steam rises from the eastern margin where the lava meets the jökulsá á fjöllum river. |
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on february 4, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite acquired this image, which shows thick smoke streaming from both fires. red outlines indicate hot spots where modis detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire. |
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in this image from the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8, you can see the role that the dinaric alps play in managing moisture. the image shows the northwestern dalmatian coast and the velebit mountain range. in the image, dense clouds are trapped by the velebit mountains and cover the region. the lika region receives as much as 1,600 millimeters (63 inches) of rain per year, supporting dense forests of beech and fir trees. on the drier, "olive-climate" west side of the mountains, mediterranean shrublands are most common. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this image of ash drifting south from mount aso on january 13, 2015. |
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this photograph was taken from the international space station as astronauts flew over the himalaya range, near the china–india border. it shows one of the main ranges of the himalayas, where peaks cast strong evening shadows on the snow. the mountains in this image reach great altitudes (5,200 meters or 17,000 feet); the peaks just beyond the upper edge of the image reach high enough (6,500 meters or 21,325 feet) to host glaciers. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this view of a phytoplankton bloom near alaska’s pribilof islands on september 22, 2014. the pribilofs are surrounded by nutrient-rich waters in the bering sea. the milky green and light blue shading of the water indicates the presence of vast populations of microscopic phytoplankton—mostly coccolithophores, which have calcite scales that appear white in satellite images. such phytoplankton form the foundation of a tremendously productive habitat for fish and birds. |
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the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on the aqua satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the black sea on january 8, 2015. cloud streets are long parallel bands of cumulus clouds that form when cold air blows over warmer waters and a warmer air layer (temperature inversion) rests over the top of both. the comparatively warm water gives up heat and moisture to the cold air above, and columns of heated air called thermals naturally rise through the atmosphere. the temperature inversion acts like a lid. when the rising thermals hit it, they roll over and loop back on themselves, creating parallel cylinders of rotating air. as this happens, the moisture cools and condenses into flat-bottomed, fluffy-topped cumulus clouds that line up parallel to the direction of the prevailing winds. |
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located off the east coast of russia, the sea of okhotsk stretches down to 45 degrees north latitude, and sea ice forms regularly in the basin. in fact, it is the lowest latitude for seasonal sea ice formation in the world. on january 4, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this image of the ice-covered sea of okhotsk. |
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on january 14, 2015, bansi passed over cargados carajos shoals, a small group of coralline islands that are part of the mascarene archipelago. the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on the aqua satellite captured this image of the shoals on january 16 after the storm exited the area. |
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there are reportedly 117 million lakes on earth, covering about 4 percent of the planet’s non-glaciated land surfaces. the bulk of them are in the arctic or boreal regions of north america and eurasia, and most are largely untouched by human activity. (check out the pockmarked, lake-rich surfaces of the canadian shield or the "barren lands" of nunavut to get a look at what these northerly lakes are like.) nansi lake in china’s shandong province has a very different story. with more than 96 million people living in shandong, the fingerprints of human civilization are all over this shallow lake. as seen in this natural-color image captured by the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8, much of the lake is being used for either aquaculture or farming. |
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in nighttime satellite imagery, the light from the eagle ford shale play competes with the nearby cities of san antonio and austin. the electric glow of drilling equipment, worker camps, and other gas and oil infrastructure combine with flickering gas flares to create an unmistakable arc of light across southern texas. (play is a term used by petroleum geologists to describe a geological formation that has been targeted for exploration because it likely contains oil or gas.) on july 15, 2012, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on the suomi npp satellite captured this nighttime view of eagle ford. the image was acquired by the viirs day-night band, which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, auroras, wildfires, and reflected moonlight. the eagle ford shale, which is about 600 kilometers (400 miles) long and 80 kilometers (50 miles) wide, is a source of both oil and gas. most of the oil-producing wells are located on the northern part of the play; the gas-producing wells are located along its southern edge. |
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in late january 2015, nasa-funded scientists launched a rocket-borne experiment into the northern lights in order to learn more about how they heat the planet’s atmosphere. the auroral spatial structures probe (assp) was launched at 5:41 a.m. on january 28 from the poker flat research range about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of fairbanks, alaska. the research team captured this time-lapse photo of the oriole iv sounding rocket and payload amidst the aurora borealis. |
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the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite on the suomi npp satellite acquired this nighttime image at 1:45 am us eastern standard time (06:45 universal time) on january 27, 2015. the image shows a nor'easter off the coast of the east coast of the united states in longwave infrared radiation, with brighter shades representing the colder temperatures of snow-producing clouds. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this image of flooding along the tsiribihina river on january 20, 2015. in this image, brown, sediment-rich floodwater spills across the river delta and into the mozambique channel. |
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memphis lies where tennessee adjoins arkansas and mississippi, and the population of greater memphis (1.34 million) sprawls into these neighboring states, well beyond the area shown in this image. the city has long served as a land-water transportation hub, and that is still visible in the barge traffic on the river (opposite mud island) and on several interstate highways passing through. bridges for two interstates cross the river, and cast their shadows on the water. (for scale, the interstate 40 bridge is 0.7 miles long). download full resolution and read more at http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/iotd/view.php?id=85244&src=instagram |
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when the advanced land imager on nasa’s eo-1 satellite passed over on january 20, 2015, it captured this striking view of musa bay. notice the dendritic pattern of the waterways. this branching shape, one of the most common patterns formed by watersheds, develops when streams move across relatively flat and uniform rock or over rock that resists erosion. steeper terrain or terrain with faults or other structural weaknesses form other types of drainage patterns. |
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on february 20, 2015, the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured a natural-color view of the u.s.-canadian border along the niagara river. note how a manmade ice boom keeps the mouth of the niagara river clear near buffalo, new york. as of february 27, lake erie was 95.9 percent covered in ice, while lake ontario was at 48.9 percent. overall, the five great lakes combined were 84.1 percent ice covered. |
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using the “day-night band” (dnb) of the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs), the suomi npp satellite acquired this view (above) of the aurora borealis around 1:30 a.m. eastern daylight time on march 18, 2015. auroras appear as white streaks over hudson bay, southern canada, and the northern united states. the dnb sensor detects dim light signals such as auroras, airglow, gas flares, city lights, and reflected moonlight. in the image above, the sensor detected visible light emissions as energetic particles rained down from earth’s magnetosphere into the gases of the upper atmosphere. |
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the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite on the suomi npp satellite captured this view of the two storms around midday on february 19, 2015. the image is a composite of satellite data from two suomi npp passes over the area. |
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this image shows the snow-covered northeastern states as observed on february 16, 2015, by the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite. cloud streets over the atlantic ocean in both images hint at the potent winds blowing across the east coast from the canadian interior. following the blizzard, temperatures dropped as low as -30 degrees fahrenheit (-34° celsius) in parts of new england. |
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a growing rift near the edge of the glacier was visible to satellites for several weeks before the ice finally broke loose. the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this image on january 24, 2015. while clouds obscured landsat 8’s view of the new berg after january 25, a radar aboard the european space agency’s sentinel-1 satellite captured an image of the iceberg on january 28, showing it moving away from the ice shelf. the new iceberg is now drifting in breid bay off of queen maud land. |
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the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite on the suomi npp satellite captured this image of the sand storm on february 24. because of the desert landscape and the widespread nature of the event, the airborne particles are easier to see over open water. |
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clouds are approaching from the top left (west) in the image. new zealand is seldom photographed from orbit because it is one of the cloudier parts of planet, and because crew sleep periods often occur when the iss passes over the area. |
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this image shows the mitten-shaped basin on june 21, 2014—the summer solstice—as it appeared to the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8. in the two years prior to this image, the basin gained as much as 38 meters of elevation. the researchers attribute the uplift in part to meltwater from the surface flowing through crevasses and refiling the subglacial lake. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this natural-color image of b-15t on january 14, 2015. the iceberg was located amid sea ice off the princess astrid coast, just east of its position pictured in an image acquired april 5, 2015, by the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite. |
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on february 26, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite observed some of that dust starting a trans-atlantic journey. in the image above, vast amounts of dust rise up from senegal, mauritania, and gambia. the plumes are thick and brown, suggesting that he dust is still compact and that it probably arose close to the coast—not from a more distant location in the north african interior. some of the dust also appears to be settling into the waters just offshore, adding to the darkening effect in the satellite view. a bit farther offshore, the water surface is brightened by sunglint, the reflection of sunlight directly back at the camera from a relatively smooth surface. |
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astronauts flying on the international space station took this photograph of the south end of the red sea and the gulf of aden. here the coastlines of africa (upper part of the image) and arabia (lower part) are less than 30 kilometers (20 miles) apart at the mandeb strait. (note that north is to the lower right in this image.) most of the small country of djibouti, with a landscape dominated by dark volcanic rocks, appears in this view. its long axis stretches roughly 220 kilometers (140 miles) from the gulf of aden coast to lake abhe. djibouti is strategically positioned on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, with access to the red sea (and the mediterranean beyond) and the indian ocean. for this reason, djibouti was occupied by france during the colonial era, while the opposite coast of yemen was occupied by the british. |
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landsat 8 acquired this image of the southern part of inle lake on january 25, 2015. ye-chan, is made possible by water hyacinth (eichhornia crassipes), a fast-growing aquatic perennial that thrives in the warm, shallow water. considered a pest, water hyacinth is known for blanketing shallow lakes so tightly that it can grind boat traffic to a standstill. in some parts of inle lake, the floating roots are so dense that they form mats sturdy enough to trap and hold sediment. |
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there are (so far) 1,800 known planets beyond our solar system, but among all of them, there's no place like earth. this earth day, april 22, nasa is asking you to share pictures and video of your favorite places on earth using social media – and tag them #noplacelikehome. the letters in this image are satellite views of a lake, coral atoll, meandering river, phytoplankton bloom, snow track, glacier, geologic formation, crater, dust storm, and extratropical cyclone. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this image of volcano island on february 7, 2014. the island rises from the north-central side of taal lake, which in turn fills the much broader taal caldera. |
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as maysak approached the philippines, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on the suomi npp satellite captured a nighttime image of the weakening storm. |
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according to sea ice scientist sinead farrell, the image shows typical, mildly deformed first-year sea ice. small pressure ridges and sastrugi (snow dunes) are visible on the surface. what's uncommon about the image, however, is that it was captured during first few hours of twilight. the lack of sunlight provided an opportunity for the dms to get a glimpse of laser beams scanning the sea ice. next to the dms in the belly of the plane, the airborne topographic mapper (atm) sends pulses of laser light off of a rotating mirror and onto the ice below. this photo shows the elliptical scan pattern of the atm as it made 94 laser shots in the one-thirtieth of a second that the dms camera shutter was open. |
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suomi npp does not actually observe earth from the perspective shown in this image. the satellite flies in a polar orbit at an altitude of 824 kilometers (512 miles), and its images have a resolution of 375 meters per pixel. in this image, the virtual camera looks down from the perspective of 8,300 kilometers (5,100 miles) above a point at 50 degrees south latitude and 40 degrees east longitude. |
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while cloudy conditions have hampered satellite observations of nepal since the earthquake, the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured a clear view on april 30, 2015. a mixture of snow, ice, and debris—which originated in snowfields on the slopes above langtang—slid toward the langtang river and buried the village. |
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on may 3, after the storm had passed, the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this view of a plume from the brisbane river entering moreton bay. |
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delta distributaries (channels and streams) have two morphologies: large and relatively straight or small and highly contorted. in the photo, brown sediment has been stirred up by heavy rains; when it reaches the sea, it is swept north (to the left in this image) by local ocean currents. clearer blue water is visible to the lower right (south). over thousands of years, the sediment supplied by the river has been shaped by waves into beach ridges along the shoreline. those ridges appear as many parallel lines, with each line representing a prior coastline on this fast-changing (geologically speaking) coast. the oldest coastline lies furthest inland. |
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in the images, the principal source of the smoke appears to be fires burning 100 to 150 kilometers north of the city of vancouver and roughly 50 to 70 kilometers north and west of pemberton and the ski resort area of whistler. the elaho valley fire was sparked by lightning in mid-june 2015, and stayed relatively small and contained until it started growing vigorously on july 4. by the morning of july 7, the fire and its scar covered about 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres), and the blaze was uncontrolled on all fronts. fire managers reported crown fires—blazes high in the forest canopy that can leap across areas quickly when fanned by winds. thick smoke and gusty winds prevented airborne firefighting flights on july 6, according to news reports. |
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at 12:40 p.m. local time (09:40 universal time) on november 2, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite captured this image of cyclone chapala over the gulf of aden. when the image was acquired, the storm’s maximum sustained winds were 105 knots (120 miles or 195 kilometers per hour)—the equivalent of a category 3 hurricane. |
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the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of noul (dodong) approaching the philippines at 12:55 p.m. local time (04:55 universal time) on may 8, 2015. shortly after the image was acquired (06:00 universal time), the u.s. navy joint typhoon warning center reported the storm had 100 knot winds (115 miles or 185 kilometers per hour), a category 3 on the saffir simpson scale. |
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at 10:55 a.m. local time on february 13, 2016, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (#modis) on nasa’s #terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of an ash plume arising from zhupanovsky volcano in far eastern russia. |
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in early september 2015, a storm with characteristics of both the shamal and the haboob moved across iraq, iran, and the persian gulf region. the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this natural-color image of the dust storm on september 1, 2015. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this view of the feature on may 29, 2015. while the precise date of the most recent eruption is not known, the lack of erosion and weathering implies that it probably occurred in the last few thousand years. south of the ash field, mud streams have begun the slow process of eroding the tephra and ash away. the ash field extends around a much smaller caldera that is about 4 kilometers (2 miles) wide. calderas are hollowed-out circular depressions that form at the summit of volcanoes when magma is withdrawn or erupted from a shallow underground magma reservoir. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this image of the park in south africa on june 19, 2015. seen from above, the concentric rings of hills and valleys make a near perfect circle, with different rings composed of different types of igneous rock. the entire structure sits about 100 to 500 meters (300 to 1,600 feet) above the surrounding landscape. the highest point—matlhorwe peak—rises 1,560 meters (5,118 feet) above sea level. |
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on the left side of the image, several circular patterns are traced out by the light green phytoplankton near the surface. these rings are likely eddies that have spun off of the gulf stream, which turns east toward europe in this region. the underwater plateau known as georges bank is also made visible (indirectly) by the plankton. the labrador current and the gulf stream meet in this area, and the relatively shallow water promotes an abundant crop of phytoplankton, marine plants, shellfish, finfish, and marine mammals, all the way up the food chain. the bank is marked by bright swirls of color in the image. |
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the geostationary operational environmental satellite 15 (goes-15) captured this image of one #typhoon (kilo), one #hurricane (jimena), one tropical storm (ignacio), and one tropical depression (fourteen e) churning simultaneously in the pacific ocean at 15:00 universal time on september 2, 2015. all of these storms are tropical cyclones at various stages of maturity. none of the storms currently threaten land. |
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on may 25, 2015, wolf volcano, the highest volcanic peak in the galapagos, began erupting for the first time in 33 years. despite some cloud cover, the advanced land imager (ali) on the earth observing-1 satellite acquired this view of lava flowing into the ocean on may 28, 2015. the false-color image combines shortwave infrared, near infrared, and green light (ali bands 9-7-4). clouds appear blue-white, while liquid water is dark blue. vegetated areas are green; old lava flows are brown. fresh lava is bright orange and red. wolf volcano is located on the northern part of isla isabela, the largest island in the galapagos. according to local authorities, the flow poses no risk to a unique colony of pink iguanas living nearby. |
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aswan international airport lies due west of the dam, near the settlement that hosts aswan university. note that north is to the lower right in this photograph. |
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on may 21, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of cirrus clouds that formed off the coast of chile. they are relatively thin and wispy and run diagonally across the image. “these clouds might not be all that unusual, but certainly the image is striking,” said nasa atmospheric scientist tony del genio. |
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on july 12, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite captured this natural-color view of a plume of ash and volcanic gases trailing away from mount raung on the indonesian island of java. the image has a resolution of roughly 250 meters per pixel. |
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africa is front and center in this image of earth taken by a nasa camera on the deep space climate observatory (dscovr) satellite. the image, taken july 6 from a vantage point one million miles from earth, was one of the first taken by nasa’s earth polychromatic imaging camera (epic). central europe is toward the top of the image with the sahara desert to the south, showing the nile river flowing to the mediterranean sea through egypt. the photographic-quality color image was generated by combining three separate images of the entire earth taken a few minutes apart. the camera takes a series of 10 images using different narrowband filters -- from ultraviolet to near infrared -- to produce a variety of science products. the red, green and blue channel images are used in these earth images. |
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the operational land imager on the landsat 8 satellite captured this image of a phytoplankton bloom in the sea of marmara on may 17, 2015. the sea is surrounded on all sides by the nation of turkey. the swirling shapes on the water are phytoplankton, with the yellow-green and red-purple filaments likely (but not necessarily) representing different species. |
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the operational land imager on the landsat 8 satellite acquired this false-color image on july 24, 2015. with this band combination, burned forest appears brown. unburned forest is green. tanana’s airport is visible in the upper left of the image. |
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the advanced land imager (ali) on the earth observing-1 (eo-1) satellite captured this false-color (short-wave infrared) view of the fire on june 20, 2015. hot areas of active fires glow bright orange-red; relatively cooler areas of recently burned land glow dark red. |
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the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this natural-color view of the smoke plume as it passed over wisconsin, michigan, indiana, ohio, and west virginia on the morning of june 9, 2015. smoke reached mid-atlantic states by that evening. |
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cities typically appear as dull gray zones, but astronauts learn to detect these sometimes difficult targets. in this image, portland, the seattle-tacoma metropolis, and vancouver are all visible. mount rainier lies immediately southeast of seattle about 65 kilometers (40 miles) away. |
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while a top-down view of clouds has led to important advances in meteorology and atmospheric science, it has also produced something much more difficult to quantify—simple beauty. for instance, on may 20, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this view of several cloud vortices swirling downwind of the canary islands and madeira. |
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coastlines are usually the best indicators for astronauts about which part of the world they are looking at from the windows of the international space station. in this photograph, coastal lagoons with numerous rounded islands are typical of the indian ocean coastline of western australia. these shapes contrast with the angular, white ponds of the salt extraction industry. low causeways prevent muddy, red-brown inland water (a product of recent rains) from mixing with darker, clearer water near the coast. |
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on june 22, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite acquired this view of smoke across alaska. red outlines indicate areas where modis detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire. active fires surround fairbanks, so even a change in wind direction would not bring relief from the gases and particles that can cause respiratory and other health problems. |
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these images show the first phase of the solar complex, noor 1, located at the “door of the desert” in the south-central moroccan town of ouarzazate. the left image, acquired with the operational land imager (#oli) on #landsat 8 in december 2013, shows the plant soon after the start of construction. oli acquired the second image in december 2015 as the plant neared its inauguration with 500,000 solar mirrors spread across the desert. |
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on, august 30, 2014, the operational land imager (#oli) on #landsat 8 acquired this image of rivers running through colorful ridges in southwestern #kyrgyzstan. |
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on february 21, 2016, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (#modis) on nasa’s #aqua satellite, acquired this natural-color image of #dust from the #sahara desert sweeping over the iberian peninsula. |
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on january 24, 2008, the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (#aster) on the #terra satellite captured this image of #tenoumer #meteorite #crater in #mauritania. the meteorite struck earth between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this natural-color image of the new island on may 6, 2020, as construction was wrapping up and the island neared its full opening in late 2020. early signs of construction of the main island became visible to landsat in 2012; by 2014, the main flower-shaped island had started to take shape. by 2020, it was flanked by two connected islands shaped like leaves. a mixture of parks, residential towers, museums, and other infrastructure had sprung up on the new land. |
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in the morning of august 20, 2020 in california, the geostationary operational environmental satellite 17 (goes-17) captured a natural-color image of the smoke (above). goes-17 is operated by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa); nasa helps develop and launch the goes series of satellites. |
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the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra and aqua satellites captured this false-color image of alaska’s forests on september 1, 2015, after major fires had been controlled. the image includes a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between burned land and vegetated or bare land. note that most all of the readily visible burn scars were created this summer, though a few were already present at the outset. |
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on july 28, 2015, the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this image of an algal bloom in western lake erie. |
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this image shows the northwest passage as it appeared on august 31, 2015. note that much of the white covering the northwest passage in this image is cloud cover, not sea ice. |
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on september 13, 2015, the advanced land imager on nasa’s eo-1 satellite captured this image of smoke billowing from the complex of fires northwest of crater lake. |
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after making landfall near cameron, louisiana, as a category 4 storm, hurricane laura continued to move northward over western louisiana. the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on noaa-20 acquired this image of hurricane laura at 2:50 a.m. central daylight time on august 27, 2020, about two hours after the storm made landfall. clouds are shown in infrared using brightness temperature data, which is useful for distinguishing cooler cloud structures from the warmer surface below. that data is overlaid on composite imagery of city lights from nasa’s black marble dataset. |
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the string of cays—stretching 14.24 kilometers (8.9 miles) in this image—extends west from great exuma island (just outside the image to the right). exuma is known for being remote from the bigger islands of the bahamas, and it is rich with privately owned cays and with real pirate history (including captain kidd). small tidal changes on the banks cause great quantities of water to flow daily through the narrow channels between the cays, first in one direction and then the other. the darker blue sections are the deepest parts of the channels, where the water flow has cut through the rock ridge that makes the line of cays. the surrounding water is shallow (less than 25 meters, or 80 feet) and appears light blue. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 captured this view of goose lake and the surrounding watershed. the lake was relatively full on june 3, 2013 and then dry on june 25, 2015 (this image). when full, goose lake has a surface area that spans about 375 square kilometers (145 square miles). water is supplied primarily by california’s willow creek, which flows westward from the warner mountains; some water also comes from oregon’s southward flowing thomas creek. the amount of water delivered by those rivers depends on precipitation and snowmelt, as well as the amount of water diverted to irrigate pastureland, hay, and crops. (springs also feed some of the rivers.) in years with low precipitation or drought conditions, the lake can have a lower water level and even dry up, as was the case this year. one of the more famous episodes of drying came in the 1920s. dry conditions shrunk the lake to a point where previously inundated wagon tracks appeared on the exposed lake bed. those tracks had been left decades earlier by gold seekers in the mid 1800s. |
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on october 25, 2015, the operational land imager (#oli) on the #landsat 8 satellite acquired this image of ellis island and the liberty island. those once-modest islands stand like magnificent sentries in new york harbor, with jersey city, new jersey to the west and the lower reaches of manhattan island and brooklyn to the northeast and east. |
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the second image shows the storms about 12 hours later during daylight hours. this natural-color image is also a mosaic, acquired with viirs between about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. hawaii standard time on august 30. the bright areas in the daytime image are due the mirror-like reflection of sunglint. |
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in 2013, this part of bahia state in brazil included just a single center-pivot irrigation circle. in this photograph taken in 2015 by an astronaut on the space station, new circles—each about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter—are tightly packed and overlaid on the original rectangular farm grid. like a pac-man, one circle appears to be swallowing a farm house. the ragged lines of a forested stream (lower left) contrast with the sweeping, ghostly shapes of plowed stream beds (image center). as brazil’s economy rapidly expands, center-pivot technology is being introduced to counter the effects of irregular rains and drought in bahia’s drier interior. agribusiness crops grown in this part of the state include soy beans, corn, cotton and sisal. the nearby town of magalhães has experienced the fastest growth in all of brazil, as its population more than doubled between 2004 and 2007. |
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the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of chapala in the arabian sea at 1:10 p.m.local time (09:10 universal time) on october 30, 2015. at the time, the tropical cyclone had sustained winds between 130 and 135 knots (150-155 miles or 240-250 kilometers per hour) and significant wave heights of 38 feet. the potent storm was moving westward across the arabian sea. |
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on august 30, 2015, the operational land imager (oli) on landsat 8 acquired this image of poeppel corner. the point marks the location where the vertical boundary between the northern territory and queensland meets the northernmost boundary of south australia. the nearest town is birdsville, 177 kilometers (110 miles) to the east. |
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in this image, shockwave structures are visible behind a jet passing in front of the sun (which gets its purple color from a calcium-k optical filter). shock waves appear darker because changes in the air density affect how much light is refracted. the bright and dark splotches on the sun’s surface are sunspots—areas that are slightly cooler but more magnetically active than the rest of the sun’s surface. the camera that captured this image was located on the ground. |
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halfway through october 2015, fall color had made a pronounced appearance across part of the northern hemisphere. the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this view on october 12, 2015, showing the u.s. northeast and canada’s eastern provinces. sunlight and temperature are the primary factors responsible for the shift from green to shades of brown and orange. |
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aided by a period of chilly weather, fall foliage was peaking in the region’s forests in late september. on september 22, 2020, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on noaa-20 acquired this image of the area around lake superior, which is rich with aspen, birch, maple, basswood, and other deciduous hardwood trees. |
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the result is a colorful mixture of dissolved organic matter and sediments that help trace the water’s otherwise invisible currents and eddies. the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on september 10, 2020. |
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on february 5, 2016, the operational land imager (#oli) on the #landsat 8 satellite acquired this image of kennesaw mountain national battlefield park in #georgia. the park protects land associated with a historic battle of the civil war’s atlanta campaign. |
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cyclone megh has already battered socotra, an island off the yemeni coast in the arabian sea. the storm passed over the island on november 8, 2015, with estimated wind speeds approaching 125 miles per hour. u.s. navy forecasters predict that megh will make landfall near aden, on the mainland of yemen, on november 10. the winds are likely to be tropical storm force by then, though the system should drop copious amounts of rain on the desert nation. rainfall last week led to extensive flooding in central and eastern yemen. "while it’s common to have a tropical cyclone spin up in the arabian sea during the post-monsoon season (fall), in the historical record we’ve never seen two tropical cyclones spin up, especially one after the other, during this time of year,” wrote amato evan, an atmospheric scientist at the scripps institution of oceanography. “perhaps more astounding is that of all of the historical storms that did form during this time of year, none were major tropical cyclones (intensities greater than category 1).” the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on the suomi npp satellite acquired this view of cyclone megh in the narrow gulf of aden at 2:05 p.m. local time (10:05 universal time) on november 9, 2015. at the time, the cyclone had sustained winds of approximately 75 knots (85 miles or 140 kilometers per hour). #earthrightnow #nasa #cyclone #yemen |
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an astronaut onboard the international space station shot this photo of peak fall colors around ottawa, the capital of canada. west of downtown ottawa lies gatineau park, where sugar maple leaves turn orange-red and hickories turn golden-bronze during the season, known regionally as “the fall rhapsody.” |
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for the first time in more than a century, nicaragua’s momotombo #volcano awoke with an explosive #eruption. the advanced land imager (ali) on the earth observing-1 (eo-1) satellite acquired this image of the area on december 4, 2015. |
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on august 14, 2015, the operational land imager (#oli) on #landsat 8 captured this image of glaciers in the tian shan mountains in northeastern #kyrgyzstan. the trail of brown sediment in the middle of the uppermost #glacier is a medial moraine, a term glaciologists use to describe sediment that accumulates in the middle of merging glaciers. |
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when the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s terra satellite captured this image on december 2, 2015, the waters northeast of the falkland islands were awash with color. the swirling greens and blues are densely concentrated phytoplankton growing on the surface of the ocean. these microscopic, plant-like organisms thrive in the cool, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of southern argentina. |
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on december 18, 2015, the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (#modis) on nasa’s #terra satellite captured this clear view of the canary #islands (islas canarias) off the coast of northwestern africa. |
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the operational land imager (oli) on #landsat 8 acquired this closeup view of amsterdam island on march 26, 2015. this volcanic summit sits near the east indian ocean ridge, and it is the northernmost volcano above the water line on the antarctic plate. the highest point of the island stands 867 meters (2,844 feet) above sea level. there are two calderas within an area of just 70 square kilometers. |
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two weeks after the seiche, its effects were still evident. on november 25, 2015, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (viirs) on the suomi npp satellite acquired this natural-color image of colorful green and tan swirls. |
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thick #haze blanketed eastern #china when the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (modis) on nasa’s aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on december 7, 2015. the haze extended southwest from beijing for hundreds of kilometers and appeared to be particularly dense in low-lying areas in the guanzhong plain near xi’an. authorities in beijing have issued a first-ever “red alert” for air pollution. they have closed schools, placed limits on car usage, and ordered some factories to stop operations, according to news reports. |
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the highest elevations are found in the nether-polar urals, the second-northernmost section of the range’s five segments. on july 13, 2011, the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (#aster) on nasa’s #terra satellite acquired this view of the northern part of the nether-polar urals. |
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NASA Earth Instagram
This dataset is a moderately curated subset of the posts shown on NASA Earth's Instagram, with an emphasis on finding image-text pairs where the text associated is as close as possible to being a direct caption of the image in question.
This dataset has a variety of use cases, but the one which it is originally intended for is to provide a fine-tuning dataset for image captioning models, to be better equipped for describing the exact pheonomena in satellite imagery.
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