NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Japan one hour and 41 minutes before the quake hit. At the time Aqua passed overhead, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument captured a visible of Japan covered by clouds. The image was taken at 0405 UTC on March 11 (1:05 p.m. local time Japan /11:05 p.m. EST March 10). The quake hit at 2:46 p.m. local time/Japan.
Satellite: Aqua
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Aqua
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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muufi, bswise, Severin K, icemanpro, and 73 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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DarkAngelDay 24 months ago | reply
Great!
cha_autumn 21 months ago | reply
August 18, 2011
Dear Sir or Madam:
Hi! How are you? How old are you? I am thirty years old. Thank you for the captivating picture of Japan! I love it! You are amazing!
Love,
Autumn
prevention_web 14 months ago | reply
Thanks for putting this under Creative Commons. We've used it for our story:
Nuovo sistema anti tsunami in Giappone
preventionweb.net/english/professional/news/v.php?id=25661
The credit, including the link to this page, is in the alt tag of the photo. It appears when you mouse over the photo.
jens3cakes 14 months ago | reply
Is it just me, but I see the clouds forming a heart over Japan.