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. Much of the information contained in this image came from a single remote-sensing device-NASAs Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. Flying over 700 km above the Earth on-board the Terra satellite, MODIS provides an integrated tool for observing a variety of terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric features of the Earth. The land and coastal ocean portions of these images are based on surface observations collected from June through September 2001 and combined, or composited, every eight days to compensate for clouds that might block the sensors view of the surface on any single day. Two different types of ocean data were used in these images: shallow water true color data, and global ocean color (or chlorophyll) data. Topographic shading is based on the GTOPO 30 elevation dataset compiled by the U.S. Geological Surveys EROS Data Center.

This visualization shows the cold water trails left first by Hurricanes Fabian and then by Hurricane Isabel in the Atlantic Ocean from August 27, 2003 through September 23, 2003. The colors on the ocean represent the sea surface temperatures, and satellite images of the hurricane clouds are laid over the temperatures to clearly show the hurricane positions. Orange and red depict regions that are 82 degrees F and higher, where the ocean is warm enough for hurricanes to form. Hurricane winds are sustained by the heat energy of the ocean, so the ocean is cooled as the hurricane passes and the energy is extracted to power the winds. A hurricane can experience a dramatic reduction in wind speed when it crosses the cold track of a previous hurricane. However, in this case, the cold water track from Fabian warmed up before Isabel crossed it, so Isabels winds did not decrease. The sea surface temperatures were measured by the AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite, while the cloud images were taken by the Imager on the GOES-12 satellite.

This animation compares snow cover between December and February of 2001-02 with the same time period in 2002-03 using 8-day composite snow maps. The snow cover from the winter of 2002-03 is shown in white while the areas that had snow in 2001-02 but not in 2002-03 are shown in blue.

In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua-MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. East Coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is to improve ongoing efforts to predict climate, improve the accuracy of weather and precipitation forecasts, and to provide more frequent and complete sampling of the Earths precipitation.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is to improve ongoing efforts to predict climate, improve the accuracy of weather and precipitation forecasts, and to provide more frequent and complete sampling of the Earths precipitation.

Criss-crossing the world below at nearly 17,000 miles per hour, ICESat is measuring the Earth from space with unprecedented accuracy. ICESAT measures the Earth by shining pulses of green and infrared light from one of its three on-board lasers. Although the major goal of ICESATs mission is to observe ice near the poles, the satellite takes measurements continuously around the entire globe, providing valuable information about our planets clouds, oceans, mountains, forests, and fields.

ICESats orbit was designed to maximize coverage over the great polar ice sheets, where ground tracks overlap to create an intricate grid of data points. The accumulation of these data points in the Southern Hemisphere results in a new three-dimensional elevation model of Antarctica. ICESat repeats its orbital pattern every eight days, allowing the GLAS instrument to measure changes over time in the same location. In order to measure ice sheet mass balance, the satellites advanced technology is providing data on the critically important third dimension, elevation.

A beautiful blue marble in space. This image shows our planet as it is seen in space. A combination of datasets from different satellites make it possible for us to view Earth from the safety of our own living rooms.

These maps show mosquito habitat distribution for four mosquito species. The red-black areas are results of satellite data analysis showing where particular species of mosquitoes can be found. The yellow lines are the published boundaries for where these species can be found. There is a strong correlation between the two. These images were created in support of a story describing how NASA is assisting the CDC and EPA in tracking the spread of West Nile Virus.

This visualization shows the east to west spread of West Nile Virus across the continental United States from 1999 through 2002. The years are represented by different colors. This visualization was created in support of a story describing how NASA is assisting the CDC and EPA in tracking the spread of West Nile Virus.

A time-series of snow cover derived from 8-day composite snow maps between December 2001 and February 2002 is animated.

A time-series of snow cover derived from 8-day composite snow maps between December 2002 and February 2003 is animated.

Packing gusts of nearly 300 kilometers per hour (184 miles per hour) and sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), Super-Typhoon Pongsona struck the U.S. Island of Guam on December 8, 2002. This 3D model of the hurricane shows the outline of the clouds, based on cloud top heights derived from AIRS observations. The color overlay represents the brightness temperatures observed in one of the HSB channels. Blue areas indicate intense convection and rain, while green and yellow reflect the internal temperature of the clouds. Microwaves, unlike infrared radiation, penetrate clouds and look into them or even through them. Red, most of which has been removed from the picture for clarity, represents areas where HSB penetrates all the way to the surface.

This visualization was created for the second of three features for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) project. The feature was called Water for Tea.