Blue Marble: NASA releases hi-res image of Earth's B-side
In response to last week鈥檚 incredibly popular 鈥淏lue Marble鈥� image, NASA and NOAA have released a companion version, this one showing part of our planet鈥檚 eastern hemisphere.
The image is a composite, made from six separate high-resolution scans taken on January 23 by NASA鈥檚 recently-renamed聽听蝉补迟别濒濒颈迟别.听
From the description on聽
Compiled by NASA Goddard scientist Norman Kuring, this image has the perspective of a viewer looking down from 7,918 miles (about 12,742 kilometers) above the Earth鈥檚 surface from a viewpoint of 10 degrees South by 45 degrees East. The four vertical lines of 鈥榟aze鈥� visible in this image shows the reflection of sunlight off the ocean, or 鈥榞lint,鈥� that VIIRS captured as it orbited the globe. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA and the Department of Defense.
Last week鈥檚 鈥淏lue Marble鈥� image is now one of the most-viewed images of all time on Flickr, receiving聽nearly 3.2 million views!
NASA launched the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (or NPP) on October 28, 2011 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. On Jan. 24, NPP was聽, or Suomi NPP, in honor of the late聽. It鈥檚聽the first satellite designed to collect data to improve short-term weather forecasts and increase understanding of long-term climate change.
Added:聽check out a 鈥渮oomified鈥� version of this image on John Williams鈥櫬�
This post originally ran in聽.
