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Smoke-covered California, from space

Posted by in Today's Image | August 26, 2020

The 2 largest fires this week both began with lightning strikes.

Image via satellite of smoke along the entire U.S. West coast.

As of yesterday, more than 650 fires were blazing in California after unprecedented lightning strikes, storms, and a heatwave that has set new records in the state. Find out more and get updates here. This image is from Monday, August 24, 2020, from NASA’s Terra satellite; it shows a smoke-covered California. Read more from NASA.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. 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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