Images
January 30, 2021 - Fog and Snow in Asia
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On January 27, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a beautiful false color image of a clear winter's day in northeastern Pakistan and northwestern India.
While true-color images show the landscape as seen with the human eye, false-color images use data collected by different MODIS bands to enhance features that would be difficult to see in true-color. In this case, infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7,2,1) are used to highlight vegetation and separate snow from cloud. In true-color images, both snow and cloud appear bright white but, in this scene, cold snow atop the Himalaya Mountains appears electric blue while low cloud (fog) cradled in the mountain valley remains white. Vegetation looks bright green and non-vegetated land appears as various shades of tan, with rugged or rocky landscape darker than flatter fields. Man-made structures, such as cities and large roadways, are easily visible as dark marks in the otherwise unbroken vegetation in India.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 1/27/2021
Resolutions:
1km (70.5 KB), 500m (1 MB), 250m (3.2 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On January 27, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a beautiful false color image of a clear winter's day in northeastern Pakistan and northwestern India.
While true-color images show the landscape as seen with the human eye, false-color images use data collected by different MODIS bands to enhance features that would be difficult to see in true-color. In this case, infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7,2,1) are used to highlight vegetation and separate snow from cloud. In true-color images, both snow and cloud appear bright white but, in this scene, cold snow atop the Himalaya Mountains appears electric blue while low cloud (fog) cradled in the mountain valley remains white. Vegetation looks bright green and non-vegetated land appears as various shades of tan, with rugged or rocky landscape darker than flatter fields. Man-made structures, such as cities and large roadways, are easily visible as dark marks in the otherwise unbroken vegetation in India.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 1/27/2021
Resolutions:
1km (70.5 KB), 500m (1 MB), 250m (3.2 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
