What can you see on this newest world image of Earth? There are crisp turquoise seas round Cuba, an agricultural fireplace in Northern India and, after all, the remainder of our planet as seen within the first full view from NOAA’s newest Earth-observing satellite NOAA-21.
The Earth pictures that make up this mosaic, and some closeups, had been taken on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 by an instrument referred to as the Seen Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the satellite, which launched on Nov. 10 from the Vandenberg House Pressure Base on Nov. 10. (The spacecraft was beforehand known as JPSS-2.) VIIRS collects pictures in each the seen and infrared gentle spectra, permitting scientists to see particulars of Earth’s floor.
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VIIRS supplies important data to scientists about Earth’s oceans, ambiance and land. It will probably detect variations within the ocean’s coloration, telling scientists the place phytoplankton are, or whether or not harmful algal blooms have shaped alongside human-settled coasts. The instrument’s atmospheric knowledge can assist scientists forecast and monitor storm motion.
NOAA-21 is the second operational satellite in a sequence referred to as the Joint Polar Satellite tv for pc System, which supplies world, pole-to-pole pictures. The last JPSS satellite, now often called NOAA-20, launched in November 2017. Earlier than that, the NOAA-NASA Suomi Nationwide Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP), which offered a blueprint for the JPSS, launched in 2011.Â
The satellites orbit pole-to-pole, observing the whole thing of Earth’s floor twice per day. It cruises 512 miles (824 kilometers) above Earth at 17,000 mph (27,360 kph) and crosses the equator 14 instances per day. They usually all carry a VIIRS instrument.Â
The third JPSS satellite is slated to launch (opens in new tab) in 2027, and the fourth doesn’t yet (opens in new tab) have a launch date.
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