Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Title:
Typhoon Saomai as seen by AIRS
Original Caption Released with Image:
This is an infrared image of Typhoon Saomai from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on August 10, 2006. This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the typhoon. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red).

Figure 1 is created from microwave radiation emitted by Earth's atmosphere and received by the instrument. It shows where the heaviest rainfall is taking place (in blue) in the storm. Blue areas outside of the storm where there are either some clouds or no clouds, indicate where the sea surface shines through.

In figure 3, Typhoon Saomai is captured by the visible light/near-infrared sensor on the AIRS instrument.

At the time the data were taken from which these images were made, the Typhoon Saomai was nearly on-shore in China with winds of 130mph, and the storm has a well developed eye.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL
Produced By:
JPL
Mission:
Earth Observing System (EOS)
Spacecraft:
Aqua
Target Name:
Earth
Is a satellite of:
Sol (our sun)
Instrument:
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)
Product Size:
900 samples x 695 lines
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Visible Light
facet_what:
Earth Observing System
facet_what:
EOS
facet_what:
Aqua
facet_what:
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
facet_what:
AIRS
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where:
California
facet_where:
China
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_when:
August 10, 2006
facet_when_year:
2006
Image #:
PIA08652
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA08652
orignial url:

Typhoon Saomai as seen by AIRS