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This spectacular "blue marble" image is the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date. Using a collection of satellite-based observations, scientists and visualizers stitched together months of observations of the land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless, true-color mosaic of every square kilometer (.386 square mile) of our planet. This view shows the Earth by night, including land, ocean, sea ice, and city lights. Much of the observations upon which this image is based came from a single remote-sensing device called the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. Flying over 700 km above the the surface of the Earth onboard the Terra satellite, MODIS provides the capabilities of observing a variety of terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric features of the Earth. This image is also based upon NASA obervations obtained with other instruments, including the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
Image courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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