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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Blue Marble Earth from Suomi NPP
NASA ^ | January 30, 2012 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 01/30/2012 4:08:28 AM PST by SunkenCiv

Explanation: Behold one of the more detailed images of the Earth yet created. This Blue Marble Earth montage shown above -- created from photographs taken by the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on board the new Suomi NPP satellite -- shows many stunning details of our home planet. The Suomi NPP satellite was launched last October and renamed last week after Verner Suomi, commonly deemed the father of satellite meteorology. The composite was created from the data collected during four orbits of the robotic satellite taken earlier this month and digitally projected onto the globe. Many features of North America and the Western Hemisphere are particularly visible on a high resolution version of the image. Previously, several other Blue Marble Earth images have been created, some at even higher resolution.

January 30, 2012

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; finland; science
[Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring]

1 posted on 01/30/2012 4:08:30 AM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...

2 posted on 01/30/2012 4:09:29 AM PST by SunkenCiv (FReep this FReepathon!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Hate to be a spoil sport....but it’s a fisheye look at north and central America. North America is NOT that big compared to the actual globe.


3 posted on 01/30/2012 4:13:54 AM PST by Dallas59 (President Robert Gibbs 2009-2011)
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To: Dallas59

Or should I say it’s more of a fish eye look. At least that is the debate on another forum.


4 posted on 01/30/2012 4:15:23 AM PST by Dallas59 (President Robert Gibbs 2009-2011)
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To: Dallas59

It wasn’t taken from Finland, either. :’)


5 posted on 01/30/2012 4:24:40 AM PST by SunkenCiv (FReep this FReepathon!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Now, with such majestic beauty.. why would anyone vote democrat..?


6 posted on 01/30/2012 5:09:16 AM PST by Track9 (The revolution IS brewing..)
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To: Dallas59

No, what you’re seeing is the effects from the “pasting” of digital high res photos on to an artificial globe as explained in the write up.

This is also based on several satellite photos taken at different angles in low Earth orbit. This view is taken from somewhere south of the equator pointed toward the north pole, so it has that atmospheric parallax we associate with relief view atlases.


7 posted on 01/30/2012 5:24:39 AM PST by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: SunkenCiv

I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE!
};-)


8 posted on 01/30/2012 6:02:28 AM PST by left that other site
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To: left that other site

I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE!

Mine’s under cloud cover.


9 posted on 01/30/2012 6:41:44 AM PST by JimRed (Excising a cancer before it kills us waters the Tree of Liberty! TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
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To: JimRed

If you look closely, you can see me waving at the camera.


10 posted on 01/30/2012 11:28:36 AM PST by LifePath
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