Photo: NASA
When: Jan 4, 2012
NASA’s most recently launched Earth-observing satellite, Suomi NPP, has captured this spine tingling picture from outer space.
This ‘Blue Marble’ picture was taken from a series of ‘swaths’ of the Earth’s surface.
The Suomi NPP is NASA’s most up to date Earth-observing research satellite, and carries a Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
According to NASA this: “collects visible and infrared imagery and radiometric measurements of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans”.
Climatologists use VIIRS data to improve our understanding of global climate change.
For a close-up view of the earth check NASA’s zoom facility.
RTCC Video: NASA Scientist Dr Piers Sellers discusses climate modelling and the use of satellites: