Most Amazing High Definition Image of Earth - Blue Marble 2012
January 25, 2012
*Updated February 2, 2012: According to Flickr, "The western
hemisphere Blue Marble 2012
image has rocketed up to over 3.1 million views making it one of the
all time most viewed images on the site after only one week."
A 'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite - Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed 'Suomi NPP' on January 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin.
Suomi NPP is NASA's next Earth-observing research satellite. It is the first of a new generation of satellites that will observe many facets of our changing Earth.
Suomi NPP is carrying five instruments on board. The biggest and most important instrument is The Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite or VIIRS.
To read more about NASA's Suomi NPP go to: www.nasa.gov/npp
Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
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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Comments and faves
lregoli, MaranzaMax (400.000 visite!!!!), Pix4YourMouf, sheeple herder, and 5493 other people added this photo to their favorites.
**Charriot** (16 months ago | reply)
Grazie!
noemkr (16 months ago | reply)
Mexico! :D
♫ Lion ♫ (16 months ago | reply)
Stunning..
Ralpheyesee (16 months ago | reply)
Fantastic!
bonwaf....м • и (16 months ago | reply)
جميلة
/\ \/\/ /\ (16 months ago | reply)
perfekt
Katarina 2353 (16 months ago | reply)
Wonderful!!! Thank you!!!!
Sigurd R (16 months ago | reply)
Very nice, do you also have the reverse side for us in Europe?
simon_bates (16 months ago | reply)
so beautiful
Terra Vermelha (16 months ago | reply)
The USA is brown !
Compound Eye (16 months ago | reply)
It'd be nice if you had an image with the US, Europe, Asia going left to right - that way, even allowing for curvature, far more people would be able to gain a sense of enjoyment / pride from what they saw... There are other countries in the World besides the USA, not that the 96% of Americans without passports would care.
ophis (16 months ago | reply)
if you're in this photo, raise your hand
♫ Lion ♫ (16 months ago | reply)
Tr0ttr (16 months ago | reply)
Sorry to spoil the party here, but I'm seeing just one hemisphere. In my book "the Earth" has two. Would love to see a picture of the better half too.
Lauren Tucker Photography (16 months ago | reply)
Amazing Capture !
rajeshmullai (16 months ago | reply)
oh god !nice invension
doku_f (16 months ago | reply)
ただただ凄いな。
BrianMartin2006 (16 months ago | reply)
Last time I checked, NASA was a US government agency, so no surprise their picture is of their country ;)
But, I do agree - it would be nice to see another of the rest of the world as well..
Salaatti (16 months ago | reply)
Fantastic shot! So beautiful.
frozenminds (16 months ago | reply)
too bad it's always america... the other part of the world is more interesting
Joe19G27 (16 months ago | reply)
I can see my house from here!!
marcuslyra (16 months ago | reply)
It would be greater if it was showing great barrier reef in Australia, or caribean islands better, because it shows both biospheres including life in water.
It's a great work indeed, but NASA in position to take HUMANITY to higher levels of knowledge, could work in less patriotic ways. As seen at this magnific composition, there's no division lines on it and we are all one.
★★hime's images★★ (16 months ago | reply)
perfect
Saad Faruque (16 months ago | reply)
Lets say world just look picture perfect from up their :-) amazing
glorom (16 months ago | reply)
Amazing shot of the 3rd Rock!
rafaelbrm (16 months ago | reply)
Brazil !
jegodinezc (16 months ago | reply)
¡México!
toastforbrekkie (16 months ago | reply)
Thanks for letting us know that it's a composite image.
Any reason why you chose to project the swaths onto a sphere that's smaller than the actual size of the Earth?
L'Abusiva (16 months ago | reply)
WHERE IS EUROPE???? ...USA isn't the "World"
First Amendment Mike (16 months ago | reply)
We do have pictures of the other side of the world but we call them targeting grids. Fleece your own people, build your own camera and take pictures of what ever you want.. Stop whining and do something for yourself. This Utopian view of sharing only works when their is excess of production to give away freely and which once allowed America to build great programs such as NASA. No more NASA. The time has ended and everyone through out the world, including the USA, needs to pick themselves up from their own bootstraps and DO SOMETHING for THEMSELVES... No more free rides. You get out of life what you put in. We take nice pictures.....enjoy.
gordonel (16 months ago | reply)
WOW just wow
somedesignerguy (16 months ago | reply)
I see a lot of complaints mixed in here and I can't help but point out that it is only one single shot (or composite) owned by NASA; headquartered in the United States. Did everyone expect they would release one single image of another region? Further to that point and the quote that, "USA isn't the world" — I see more than one country in this view of the Earth... don't you? I also see the Earth, continents and no lines dividing up the land masses; maybe that's a better way to view it instead complaining about which country is shown the most?
Funny how this recent photo didn't exist a month ago and yet the moment it appears, everyone feels entitled to something different. Be happy we have any view of the Earth of this quality and resolution.
Vilma Salazar (16 months ago | reply)
Thank you, from Guatemala! Beautiful.
c.c. petersen (16 months ago | reply)
I find that a great many Europeans don't always know about their own space agency and its many fine accomplishments. You can read about it at www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html.
I, too, hope that NASA will release the "other side" of the globe; give them a chance. These things don't just happen overnight. And, please notice that it's the Western Hemisphere showing, which, last time I counted, had more than one country in it.
memo espinosa (16 months ago | reply)
This is Mexico and it's GREAT, sad to see that must of the other side of the world thinks this picture belongs to USA, just remember AMERICA IS NOT USA
Jorge Arana - Stereocity (16 months ago | reply)
Una maravillosa imagen, gracias NASA . . . México presente, viva México !!!
BlueisCoool (16 months ago | reply)
Very nice capture - congrats !
Witty nickname (16 months ago | reply)
Beautiful!
Stmpjmpr (16 months ago | reply)
my2cents77 (16 months ago | reply)
This satellite circles the Earth every 100 minutes, its mission is to monitor the entire Earth, USA and everywhere else. The weather in the USA moves in from the Pacific, Asia, Canada, the Atlantic and Central America. The USA can't make a weather prediction beyond 3 days without data from these satellites. USA has its satellites, but they are not enough, so USA partners with Europe, Japan, and many other countries to share data from satellites and other observing systems to complete the puzzle. This saves the USA millions of $$$.
my2cents77 (16 months ago | reply)
FYI... this picture was knitted together (e.g., a digital composite) from several consecutive orbits (like pealing an apple). I am sure NASA will release more composites of other (non-North American) landforms and oceans in the future.
█ fo112 █ (16 months ago | reply)
very Nice!
Professor LaCroix (16 months ago | reply)
pretty, but um... north america is doesn't cover nearly that much of the globe.
wtf kind of weird science is this?
dilysamaryllis (16 months ago | reply)
Makes me cry to see how beautiful our world is, thank you
master putter (16 months ago | reply)
where's India ? the time is not 2 far when only India will be at the top of this world ...
(no -ive thoughts) .. :)
Still.. gr8 job by today's damn advanced tech.. our planet is really very beautiful place .. ;)
Wesley Snipes, Son (16 months ago | reply)
You want pics of Europe? Get a space program. Until then, enjoy pictures of whatever the hell we want to take pictures of.
Mairi M Martin (16 months ago | reply)
Absolutely awesome .
Supersyl08 (16 months ago | reply)
Awesome! :o)
Ron Scheffler (16 months ago | reply)
For those looking for other views, check out the "Earth" set.
@Professor LaCroix: I can only guess, but the different view from this satellite might be because it has a lower orbit and the view it provides is more like that of a wide angle lens, which will show what is directly below it at a seemingly larger scale than if it was viewed from much farther back. Info at the Suomi NPP site indicates it has an orbit of 824 km.
This photo from NASA's Earth set was made by the GOES-13 satellite, which orbits at 42,000 km, and therefore offers a different view of the Earth:
RobitoRobotes (16 months ago | reply)
See! No borders!