This new, cloud-free view of Earth at night is a composite of data acquired over nine days in April and 13 days in October, 2012. The joint NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Satellite (Suomi NPP) needed 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get clear shots of every parcel of land surface. This new data was then mapped over existing Blue Marble imagery of Earth to provide a realistic view. The result is beautiful, and meaningful, as the video below explains.
Video Credits: NASA’s Earth Observatory with data processed by NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center and combined with a version of the Earth Observatory’s Blue Marble: Next Generation.
Bottom line: Suomi NPP was used to create this new cloud-free view of Earth at night.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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