January 27, 2012
Blue Marble: NASA Released Composite Image Of The Earth Taken By Suomi NPP Satellite
This is an image of the Earth's surface over the Americas that was pieced together using multiple swaths of images taken by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The Suomi NPP is the first satellite of a new generation of orbiting apparatus and hosts an array of 5 important instruments; the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). This image was generated from the VIIRS and it is one of the highest resolution images of the Earth to date. As given in its name, the Suomi NPP orbits over the poles circling the Earth ~14 times a day allowing it to observe nearly the entire surface. So this is an actual image of the Earth, as compared to the CGI ones you usually look at, and if you zoom in you can see some very cool detail including Kelvin-Helmholtz waves on the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico.
