Cientistas da NASA criaram duas novas imagens 'Blue
Marble' a partir de dados colhidos por um novo instrumento a bordo do satélite de observação terrestres Suomi NPP, o Radiômetro Suíte de Imageamento Visível Infravermelho (VIIRS).
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O satélite Suomi NPP está em órbita polar da Terra a cerca de 824 quilômetros de altitude, mas a perspectiva do novo hemisfério 'Blue Marble' é de cerca de 12.743 quilômetros.
O cientista da NASA Norman Kuring conseguiu "afastar-se" da Terra para obter a grande imagem, combinando dados de diferentes óbitas do satélite Suomi NPP. Ou, em outras palavras, o satélite sobrevoou esta área da Terra seis vezes por um período de oito horas. Norman tirou esse conjunto de seis grupos de dados e os combinou em uma só imagem.
O satélite Suomi NPP está em órbita polar da Terra a cerca de 824 quilômetros de altitude, mas a perspectiva do novo hemisfério 'Blue Marble' é de cerca de 12.743 quilômetros.
O cientista da NASA Norman Kuring conseguiu "afastar-se" da Terra para obter a grande imagem, combinando dados de diferentes óbitas do satélite Suomi NPP. Ou, em outras palavras, o satélite sobrevoou esta área da Terra seis vezes por um período de oito horas. Norman tirou esse conjunto de seis grupos de dados e os combinou em uma só imagem.
Atendendo a pedidos, os cientistas da NASA criaram uma imagem para fazer par com a popularíssima 'Blue Marble' divulgada na semana passada.
Veja a original aqui: Flickr →
A nova imagem é uma composição de seis órbitas distintas, obtidas em 23 de janeiro de 2012 pelo Satélite Compartilhado Nacional Orbital Polar Suomi. Ambas essas novas imagens 'Blue Marble' foram obtidas por um novo instrumento a bordo do Suomi NPP, o Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
Compilada pelo cientista do Centro Goddard da NASA Norman Kuring, esta imagem tem a perspectiva de um observador olhando para baixo da altitude de 12,742 acima da superfície terrestre, de um ponto de vista de 10 graus Sul por 45 graus Leste. As quatro linhas veticais de 'bruma' visíveis nesta imagem mostram a reflexão da luz solar no oceano, ou 'resplendor,' que a VIIRS captou quando orbitava o globo. O Suomi NPP é fruto de uma parceria entre a NASA, a NOAA e o Departamento de Defesa dos Estados Unidos.
Usando uma bola de basketball como referência, pode-se ter uma ideia de qão distante o satélite Suomi NPP está da Terra. Pegue uma bola dessas que tem diâmetro de 25 centimetros e imagine que ela é a Terra (Para lembrar, a Terra tem um diâmetro de 12.756 quilômetros.
Então, pegue a mesma vista da Terra obtida com o instrumento VIIRS a bordo do satélite Suomi NPP, segure a bola à distância de 1,5 centímetro do seu rosto.
A verdadeira largura da superfície da Terra coberta por cada passagem do VIIRS quando o satélite orbita a Terra é 3.001 quilômetros. Na bola há cerca de 6 centímetros.
Para referância:
Durante sua vida, até hoje, a altitude da Estação Espacial Internacional tem estado entre 330 quilômetros e 410 quilômetros acima da superfície da Terra. Isso traz a bola mais perto do rosto, para cerca de 0,8 centímetros.
A 'Blue Marble'marble original é uma fotografia tirada pelos astronautas da Apollo 17 quando foram à Lua. Foi tirada a uma distãncia de 45.062 quilômetros. O que coloca a bola a cerca de 76 centímetros do rosto, aproximadamente o comprimento do braço.
A Lua está a 384.403 quilômetros de distância da Terra. Isso coloca a bola a cerca de 7,6 metros do rosto.
Segundo o Flickr, a Blue Marble do Hemisfério Ocidental de 2012 foi vista por mais de 3,1 milhões de pessoas até 1º de fevereiro, o que a torna uma das imagens mais vistas de todos os tempos no site em apenas uma semana.
NASA scientists created the two new 'Blue
Marble' images from data acquired by a new instrument that's aboard the
Earth-observing satellite Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging
Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). Credit: NASA/NOAA
View on Flickr →
The Suomi NPP satellite is in a polar orbit around Earth at an altitude of 512 miles (about 824 kilometers), but the perspective of the new Eastern hemisphere 'Blue Marble' is from 7,918 miles (about 12,743 kilometers). NASA scientist Norman Kuring managed to 'step back' from Earth to get the big picture by combining data from six different orbits of the Suomi NPP satellite. Or putting it a different way, the satellite flew above this area of Earth six times over an eight hour time period. Norman took those six sets of data and combined them into one image.
View on Flickr →
The Suomi NPP satellite is in a polar orbit around Earth at an altitude of 512 miles (about 824 kilometers), but the perspective of the new Eastern hemisphere 'Blue Marble' is from 7,918 miles (about 12,743 kilometers). NASA scientist Norman Kuring managed to 'step back' from Earth to get the big picture by combining data from six different orbits of the Suomi NPP satellite. Or putting it a different way, the satellite flew above this area of Earth six times over an eight hour time period. Norman took those six sets of data and combined them into one image.
Responding to public demand, NASA scientists
created a companion image to the wildly popular 'Blue Marble' released
last week (January 25, 2012). Credit: NASA/NOAA
View the original here: Flickr →
The new image is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Both of these new 'Blue Marble' images are images taken by a new instrument flying aboard Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
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's surface from a viewpoint of 10 degrees South by 45 degrees East. The four vertical lines of 'haze' visible in this image shows the reflection of sunlight off the ocean, or 'glint,' that VIIRS captured as it orbited the globe. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA and the Department of Defense.
Using a basketball you can get a good idea of how far away the Suomi NPP satellite is from Earth. Take a basketball that has a diameter of 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) and say that's 'Earth.' (For the record, Earth has a diameter of about 7,926 miles (about 12,756 kilometers)).
So to get the same view of Earth as the VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, hold the basketball five-eighth of an inch (about one-and-a-half centimeters) away from your face.
The actual swath width of the Earth's surface covered by each pass of VIIRS as the satellite orbits the Earth is about 1,865 miles (about 3,001 kilometers). On the basketball that's about two and one-third inches (about six centimeters).
For reference:
Over its lifetime the International Space Station's altitude has been between 205 miles (about 330 kilometers) and 255 miles (410 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. That brings your 'basketball Earth' closer to your face at about five-sixteenth of an inch (about point-eight centimeters) away.
The original 'Blue Marble' image is a photograph taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts as they traveled toward the moon. It was taken at a distance of about 28,000 miles (45,062 kilometers). That puts your 'basketball Earth' at over 30 inches (76 centimeters) away from your face, or roughly an arm's length away.
The moon is about 238,857 miles (384,403 kilometers) away from the Earth's surface. That puts your 'Earth basketball' about 25 feet (about 7.6 meters) away, which is roughly the distance a three-point line on a basketball court is from the basket.
According to Flickr, that Western hemisphere Blue Marble 2012 image has more than 3.1 million views as of February 1st, making it one of the all-time most viewed images on the site after only one week.
View the original here: Flickr →
The new image is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Both of these new 'Blue Marble' images are images taken by a new instrument flying aboard Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).
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's surface from a viewpoint of 10 degrees South by 45 degrees East. The four vertical lines of 'haze' visible in this image shows the reflection of sunlight off the ocean, or 'glint,' that VIIRS captured as it orbited the globe. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA and the Department of Defense.
Using a basketball you can get a good idea of how far away the Suomi NPP satellite is from Earth. Take a basketball that has a diameter of 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) and say that's 'Earth.' (For the record, Earth has a diameter of about 7,926 miles (about 12,756 kilometers)).
So to get the same view of Earth as the VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite, hold the basketball five-eighth of an inch (about one-and-a-half centimeters) away from your face.
The actual swath width of the Earth's surface covered by each pass of VIIRS as the satellite orbits the Earth is about 1,865 miles (about 3,001 kilometers). On the basketball that's about two and one-third inches (about six centimeters).
For reference:
Over its lifetime the International Space Station's altitude has been between 205 miles (about 330 kilometers) and 255 miles (410 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. That brings your 'basketball Earth' closer to your face at about five-sixteenth of an inch (about point-eight centimeters) away.
The original 'Blue Marble' image is a photograph taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts as they traveled toward the moon. It was taken at a distance of about 28,000 miles (45,062 kilometers). That puts your 'basketball Earth' at over 30 inches (76 centimeters) away from your face, or roughly an arm's length away.
The moon is about 238,857 miles (384,403 kilometers) away from the Earth's surface. That puts your 'Earth basketball' about 25 feet (about 7.6 meters) away, which is roughly the distance a three-point line on a basketball court is from the basket.
According to Flickr, that Western hemisphere Blue Marble 2012 image has more than 3.1 million views as of February 1st, making it one of the all-time most viewed images on the site after only one week.
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