Blue Marble 2012 - "How To"
NASA image release February 2, 2012
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).
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.
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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.
Credit: NASA/NOAA
For more information about Suomi NPP go to: www.nasa.gov/npp
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
rstaff3, fudgepuddle, Casey Cripe, denverkid, and 53 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Unlucky_Alf [deleted] (16 months ago | reply)
Great shot.
HeavyLight.ca (16 months ago | reply)
Thanks for this, and sharing the photos. The world is just awesome.
Cliff's Photography, Thank you for all visits!! (16 months ago | reply)
interesting!!!
mark7 (16 months ago | reply)
Why the hazy bands down the center of the strips?
Cristyjan (16 months ago | reply)
Nice, good job :)
DarkAngelDay (16 months ago | reply)
Nice
DiamantThomy (16 months ago | reply)
Nice
Harryf01 (16 months ago | reply)
Stitching 8 photos together to create one ( add your own superlative ) panorama of our world!
It's the best!
fred:vr (16 months ago | reply)
I'd like to go and take that shot!
Gemma~A Passionate Photographer (16 months ago | reply)
Thank you for sharing the interesting technique.
barbara.elaw - trying to keep up! (16 months ago | reply)
fascinating
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Seen on blog.flickr.net ( ?² )
Dawn Woodhouse (16 months ago | reply)
Its great that such an iconic place as NASA takes the time to share so much online
joanna08uk (16 months ago | reply)
one gret photo good for you nasa
Jared Peters (16 months ago | reply)
Very interesting. The photos of this magnificent planet are beautiful.
Jav-on (16 months ago | reply)
Ah interesting process. Thanks for sharing.
jdoakey (16 months ago | reply)
What a brilliant way to describe it. Just got to love science. Thank you.
ronporium (16 months ago | reply)
Marbleous!
DjPaulPrince (16 months ago | reply)
nice!
svande8952 (16 months ago | reply)
Thanks, this is one of the best things I have ever seen.
Engineer J (16 months ago | reply)
Out of this world, of this world!!
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Seen on blog.flickr.net ( ?² )
OldTom2009 (16 months ago | reply)
Yes, fascinating.
ZazaPics (16 months ago | reply)
Waouhhh
aesthete2012 (15 months ago | reply)
fascinating !
Catherine442 [deleted] (15 months ago | reply)
Nice!