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Images of Ecuador and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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Sea Surface Temperature Anom
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| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly, 2005 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The sea surface temperature anomaly, or difference from the mean, can show climate indicators such as the El Nino oscillation, which manifests as a warmer-than-normal sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador and Peru. This sequence shows a slight La Nina effect, or cooler-than-normal sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. |
| Completed |
2005-07-11 |
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Sea Surface Temperature Anom
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| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly, 2005 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The sea surface temperature anomaly, or difference from the mean, can show climate indicators such as the El Nino oscillation, which manifests as a warmer-than-normal sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador and Peru. This sequence shows a slight La Nina effect, or cooler-than-normal sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. |
| Completed |
2005-07-11 |
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Ash from Erupting El Reventa
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| Title |
Ash from Erupting El Reventador Blankets Quito |
| Description |
Ecuador?s El Reventador volcano, situated roughly 60 miles northeast of Quito, erupted suddenly on November 3, 2002, sending a cloud of ash 10 miles into the sky. This true-color scene was acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), flying aboard the OrbView-2 satellite, within hours after the eruption began. In this scene, the volcanic plume appears grey and can easily be distinguished from the whiter clouds. Much of the ash has settled onto Ecuador?s capital city and the surrounding countryside, prompting Ecuador?s president to declare a state of emergency for the 1.4 million inhabitants of the region. Scientists were surprised by the eruption, which spewed ash and gases into the sky throughout the day of November 3. Hot ash, gases, and burning rocks also rained down the flanks of the volcano. By the morning of November 4, El Reventador?s ongoing eruption had subsided somewhat. However, geologists urged residents of Quito to remain cautious because the volcano could erupt again. Scientists and local officials are also concerned that the eruption could create a humanitarian crisis for the region, both in that the ash is polluting the local water supply as well as potentially poisoning livestock grazing on soot-covered vegetation in the region. Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE |
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Fernadina Volcano, Galapagos
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| Title |
Fernadina Volcano, Galapagos Islands |
| Description |
On the westernmost island in the Galapagos Islands lies the volcanic chain?s most active volcano: Fernandina. Located on a remote, uninhabited island in the Galapagos National Park, the volcano?s eruptions often go unobserved, but on May 13, 2005, the volcano?s eruption was unmistakable. A short time after the volcano started to erupt, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) flying on the OrbView-2 satellite captured this image. A thick cloud of ash and steam rises from the volcano and fans out to the west. A smaller, slightly darker plume is blowing south from the island. This darker plume may be more ash-rich than the larger plume, or it may be smoke from fires ignited by lava flows. The Instituto Geofisico of the Escuela Politecnica Nacional of Ecuador reports that ash rose to a height of seven kilometers from a fissure on the west side of the volcano. Volcanic material has fallen on the neighboring Isabela Island. The volcano?s last eruption was in 1995. SeaWiFS images courtesy the Ocean Color Group [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE [ http://www.orbimage.com/ ]. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with ORBIMAGE. |
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Fernadina Volcano, Galapagos
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| Title |
Fernadina Volcano, Galapagos Islands |
| Description |
On the westernmost island in the Galapagos Islands lies the volcanic chain?s most active volcano: Fernandina. Located on a remote, uninhabited island in the Galapagos National Park, the volcano?s eruptions often go unobserved, but on May 13, 2005, the volcano?s eruption was unmistakable. A short time after the volcano started to erupt, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) flying on the OrbView-2 satellite captured this image. A thick cloud of ash and steam rises from the volcano and fans out to the west. A smaller, slightly darker plume is blowing south from the island. This darker plume may be more ash-rich than the larger plume, or it may be smoke from fires ignited by lava flows. The Instituto Geofisico of the Escuela Politecnica Nacional of Ecuador reports that ash rose to a height of seven kilometers from a fissure on the west side of the volcano. Volcanic material has fallen on the neighboring Isabela Island. The volcano?s last eruption was in 1995. SeaWiFS images courtesy the Ocean Color Group [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE [ http://www.orbimage.com/ ]. NOTE: All SeaWiFS images and data are for research and educational use only. All commercial use of SeaWiFS data must be coordinated with ORBIMAGE. |
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Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
| Title |
Shrimp Farming in Ecuador |
| Description |
Like fields of blue, rectangular shrimp farms line the coast of Ecuador south of the city of Guayaquil in these images. Worldwide, wetlands and coastal mangrove forests have been converted to shrimp ponds in order to farm these crustaceans for food and sale. In Ecuador, the industry started in the late 1960s and rapidly grew. By 1999, 175,255 hectares of land had been converted to shrimp farms. That year, Ecuador was the fourth largest shrimp producer in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In Ecuador, as elsewhere, shrimp farms are typically built along the shore where salt water is easily accessible. Though Ecuador's mangrove forests declined as shrimp farming and other coastal development occurred, salt flats or salt marshes on slightly higher ground have also been converted, as illustrated in these images. The lower image was taken by the Landsat satellite on April 29, 1991. Shrimp farms cover much of the land shown in the image, but a broad swath of tan-gray salt flat still lines the inlet. By March 6, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite took the top image, the salt flat had almost entirely been converted to shrimp farms. A small canal connects the network of shrimp tanks to the inlet, providing a fresh source of water. The large images provide a broader perspective on the extent of the development. In the 1991 Landsat image, 143 square kilometers of land had been converted to shrimp ponds. In the 2006 ASTER image, shrimp farms cover 243 square kilometers. Roughly 83 percent of the region's wetlands and salt flats were eliminated by shrimp farms. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. ASTER data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Landsat data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. [ http://www.landcover.org/ ] |
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Shrimp Farming in Ecuador
| Title |
Shrimp Farming in Ecuador |
| Description |
Like fields of blue, rectangular shrimp farms line the coast of Ecuador south of the city of Guayaquil in these images. Worldwide, wetlands and coastal mangrove forests have been converted to shrimp ponds in order to farm these crustaceans for food and sale. In Ecuador, the industry started in the late 1960s and rapidly grew. By 1999, 175,255 hectares of land had been converted to shrimp farms. That year, Ecuador was the fourth largest shrimp producer in the world, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. In Ecuador, as elsewhere, shrimp farms are typically built along the shore where salt water is easily accessible. Though Ecuador's mangrove forests declined as shrimp farming and other coastal development occurred, salt flats or salt marshes on slightly higher ground have also been converted, as illustrated in these images. The lower image was taken by the Landsat satellite on April 29, 1991. Shrimp farms cover much of the land shown in the image, but a broad swath of tan-gray salt flat still lines the inlet. By March 6, 2006, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite took the top image, the salt flat had almost entirely been converted to shrimp farms. A small canal connects the network of shrimp tanks to the inlet, providing a fresh source of water. The large images provide a broader perspective on the extent of the development. In the 1991 Landsat image, 143 square kilometers of land had been converted to shrimp ponds. In the 2006 ASTER image, shrimp farms cover 243 square kilometers. Roughly 83 percent of the region's wetlands and salt flats were eliminated by shrimp farms. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. ASTER data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Landsat data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. [ http://www.landcover.org/ ] |
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Flooding in Northern Peru
| Title |
Flooding in Northern Peru |
| Description |
Northern Peru's rainy season was coming to an end when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the region surrounding the Bay of Sechura. The barren land, pink-tinted tan in January, the middle of the rainy season, was covered with patches of blue water on April 30, 2006. The rainfall also brought a faint brush of green to the desert, with brighter patches of green in irrigated areas along the top and bottom of the image. Clouds are pale blue and white. Though Peru escaped major flood-related damage, both Ecuador and Colombia, immediately north of the region shown here, suffered as floods damaged crops, isolated houses, and triggered landslides, reported the Dartmouth Flood Observatory [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2006sum.htm ]. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Flooding in Northern Peru
| Title |
Flooding in Northern Peru |
| Description |
Northern Peru's rainy season was coming to an end when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the region surrounding the Bay of Sechura. The barren land, pink-tinted tan in January, the middle of the rainy season, was covered with patches of blue water on April 30, 2006. The rainfall also brought a faint brush of green to the desert, with brighter patches of green in irrigated areas along the top and bottom of the image. Clouds are pale blue and white. Though Peru escaped major flood-related damage, both Ecuador and Colombia, immediately north of the region shown here, suffered as floods damaged crops, isolated houses, and triggered landslides, reported the Dartmouth Flood Observatory [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2006sum.htm ]. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tungurahua Volcano Erupts in
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| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano Erupts in Ecuador |
| Description |
Rising to an altitude of 16,475 feet (5,023 meters), the Tungurahua Volcano towers over the surrounding terrain in central Ecuador. From this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite, it?s easy to see why this volcano (center) is also called the ?Black Giant??its flanks are coated with dark lava flows. In this scene, captured on January 14, 2004, a plume of ash is rising from the volcano and is stretching northeastward across the Andes and the lower elevations to the east. According to reports from the Smithsonian?s Global Volcanism Program, Tungurahua began erupting with plumes of ash, steam, and smoke at the end of December 2003 and has continued into the third week of January 2004. The high-resolution image captured a wider area. Some of the haze visible amid the clouds to the south of Tungurahua may be the remains of smoke and ash plumes from Ecuador?s larger Sangay Volcano, which was also reported to be erupting with small ash plumes during this period. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
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| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador emitted a volcanic plume of ash and/or steam on June 24, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the volcanic plume appears in a shade of pale gray, slightly darker than the nearby clouds that are bright white. The plume blows westward toward the neighboring dormant volcano Chimborazo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17121 ], which sports a snowcap at its summit. Nearby settlements include Rio Bamba and Ambato. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
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| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on July 17, 2006, Tungurahua Volcano was ejecting gas and ash for the fourth consecutive day. This burst of activity proved to be the volcano's most powerful since 1999, according to Reuters. Besides volcanic ash and gas, the volcano produced molten rock that set fire to local vegetation. By July 18, the volcano's activity had blocked roads, ruined bridges, covered nearby villages in ash, killed livestock, and prompted evacuations. Despite fears for their own safety, however, some villagers returned home to salvage some of their property. The BBC provided photos [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/5184258.stm ] of the event on July 16, 2006. These images show Tungurahua and its neighbor, Chimborazo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17121 ]. The top image shows part of the bottom image in greater detail. A gray-brown plume of volcanic ash and/or steam emanates from Tungurahua, mingling with nearby white clouds. The volcanic plume appears to spread out in all directions near the summit then blow generally westward toward Chimborazo. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
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| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
The Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador had been acting up for more than a month when it erupted ferociously in mid-August 2006. According to the Associated Press, the volcano destroyed 10 villages, and buried the homes of roughly 5,000 peopleas well as the pasture for their livestockunder tons of ash. Several days after the eruption, authorities began rebuilding homes for displaced locals who needed food for themselves and their animals, along with shelter from the elements. Besides inundating the locals, Tungurahua Volcano spewed volcanic ash into the atmosphere. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/instruments/omi/index.html ] flying onboard the Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html ] satellite measured the aerosols in the region on August 17, 2006, the day after the volcano's fierce eruption. This image shows an ash cloud superimposed on a map of the region. A plus sign marks the volcano summit, and the volcanic ash appears in two distinct plumes: a larger one west of the summit, and a smaller one to the east. This aerosol distribution vaguely matches the volcanic material shown in the MODIS image [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13791 ] from the same day. In this image, dark reddish-brown indicates the thickest ash, while tan indicates relatively thin ash. Images courtesy Colin Seftor, Aura Science Team. |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
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| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
Dozens of people were missing, hundreds of families were evacuated, and three villages were gone in the wake of an eruption of the Tungurahua Volcano in mid-August 2006. A month earlier, the volcano affected [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13716 ] nearby residents and agriculture, but this eruption was worse. According to news reports, a serious eruption began on August 16, 2006, sending a column of volcanic ash 8 kilometers (5 miles) into the sky and raining lava and hot rocks on the surrounding area. Nothing remained of the villages of Chilibu, Choglontuz, and Palitagua, and the flow of lava and molten rock blocked the Patate, Puela, and Chambo Rivers. As of August 18, at least five people had died, and more casualties were expected. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took a picture of the region on August 17, 2006. It appears at top, and a Blue Marble [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ] image of the area from August 2004 appears at bottom, for comparison. The Blue Marble image is a composite of images collected over a month. In cloudy regions, monthly composites are necessary to compile cloud-free images. Clouds filled the sky a day after the Tungurahua eruption, but damage was still apparent. The dark brown smudges likely result from volcanic ash from the volcano. One smudge, over 100 kilometers in length, appears in the west, mixed with clouds. A less discernible smudge appears in the east, where relatively clearer skies allow some of the dark land surface to show through. One of Ecuador's most active volcanoes, Tungurahua [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1502-08= ] has a long history of building up edifices and later collapsing them with spectacular eruptions. Although the slopes of a volcano can be a dangerous place to live, many people take the risk [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/NatHazards/ ] because of the rich soils and the fairly mild temperatures that come with high altitude. This tradeoff placed thousands in harm's way when Tungurahua erupted in the summer of 2006. Marked in the bottom image, Tungurahua's neighbor, Chimborazo, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17121 ] is a dormant volcano that beckons many modern mountaineers. Also marked is Ecuador's capital city of Quito. NASA images created by Jesse Allen and Reto Stöckli, Earth Observatory. August 17, 2006 imagery created from data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. Blue Marble: Next Generation data provided courtesy of Earth Observatory. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ] |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
…
| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
Dozens of people were missing, hundreds of families were evacuated, and three villages were gone in the wake of an eruption of the Tungurahua Volcano in mid-August 2006. A month earlier, the volcano affected [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13716 ] nearby residents and agriculture, but this eruption was worse. According to news reports, a serious eruption began on August 16, 2006, sending a column of volcanic ash 8 kilometers (5 miles) into the sky and raining lava and hot rocks on the surrounding area. Nothing remained of the villages of Chilibu, Choglontuz, and Palitagua, and the flow of lava and molten rock blocked the Patate, Puela, and Chambo Rivers. As of August 18, at least five people had died, and more casualties were expected. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took a picture of the region on August 17, 2006. It appears at top, and a Blue Marble [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ] image of the area from August 2004 appears at bottom, for comparison. The Blue Marble image is a composite of images collected over a month. In cloudy regions, monthly composites are necessary to compile cloud-free images. Clouds filled the sky a day after the Tungurahua eruption, but damage was still apparent. The dark brown smudges likely result from volcanic ash from the volcano. One smudge, over 100 kilometers in length, appears in the west, mixed with clouds. A less discernible smudge appears in the east, where relatively clearer skies allow some of the dark land surface to show through. One of Ecuador's most active volcanoes, Tungurahua [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1502-08= ] has a long history of building up edifices and later collapsing them with spectacular eruptions. Although the slopes of a volcano can be a dangerous place to live, many people take the risk [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/NatHazards/ ] because of the rich soils and the fairly mild temperatures that come with high altitude. This tradeoff placed thousands in harm's way when Tungurahua erupted in the summer of 2006. Marked in the bottom image, Tungurahua's neighbor, Chimborazo, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17121 ] is a dormant volcano that beckons many modern mountaineers. Also marked is Ecuador's capital city of Quito. NASA images created by Jesse Allen and Reto Stöckli, Earth Observatory. August 17, 2006 imagery created from data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. Blue Marble: Next Generation data provided courtesy of Earth Observatory. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ] |
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Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuado
…
| Title |
Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador |
| Description |
The Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador emitted a plume of volcanic ash in late October 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on October 25, 2006. Several days earlier, an eruption of lava and ash forced the evacuation of some 300 local villagers, according to news reports. In this image, a plume of volcanic ash blows westward from the volcano's summit, fanning out as it goes. The plume is fairly dark, suggesting that its contents are fairly high in ash, as opposed to a white plume, which would have more water. One of Ecuador's most active volcanoes, Tungurahua [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1502-08= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, ash, and rock. It underwent a major eruption from 1916 to 1918. Another major eruption in 1995 forced the temporary evacuation of a nearby city. An eruption in the summer of 2006 caused widespread crop damage, forced evacuations, and claimed several lives. A 250-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Oct2006/tungurahua_tmo_2006298.kmz ] of Tungurahua is available for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Tungurahua Erupts
| Title |
Tungurahua Erupts |
| Explanation |
Volcano Tungurahua erupted spectacularly last year. Pictured above [ http://patricktaschler.com/portfolio/ecuador-tungurahua.html ], molten rock so hot it glows visibly pours down the sides of the 5,000-meter high Tungurahua [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungurahua ], while a cloud of dark ash [ http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/ ] is seen being ejected toward the left. Wispy white clouds flow around the lava-lit peak [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051002.html ], while a star-lit sky shines in the distance. The above image was captured last year [ http://www.summitpost.org/image/333708/327989/the-black-giant.html ] as ash fell around the adventurous photographer. Located in Ecuador [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador ], Tungurahua has become active roughly every 90 years since for the last 1,300 years. Volcano Tungurahua [ http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/south_america/ecuador/tungurahua.html ] has started erupting again this year and continues erupting at a lower level even today. APOD editor to review best space pictures in Philadelphia next Wednesday [ http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/ ] |
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A Fleeting Eclipse
| Title |
A Fleeting Eclipse |
| Explanation |
A lunar eclipse [ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/LunarEclipse.html ] can be viewed in a leisurely fashion. Visible to anyone [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/ question6.html ] on the night side of planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960819.html ] (weather permitting), totality often lasts an hour or so as the moon glides through the Earth's shadow. But a solar eclipse [ http://www.MrEclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html ] is more fleeting. Totality can last a few minutes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010706.html ] only for those fortunate enough to stand in the path of the Moon's shadow [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990830.html ] as it races across the Earth's surface. For the April 29, 1995 annular solar eclipse, photographer Olivier Staiger [ http://eclipse.span.ch/ ] was standing in Macara, Ecuador under partially cloudy skies. Just before the maximum annular eclipse phase he recorded this dramatic moment as a bird flew near the sun. The next solar eclipse, on June 10 [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2002/ASE2002.html ], will also be an annular one. Partial phases will be visible from [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2002/ ASE2002.html#live ] eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean [ http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2002/ASE2002gif/ SE2002Jun10A-2.GIF ] and much of North America. Very accurate predictions of eclipses [ http://www.earthview.com/ages/mystified.htm ] have long been possible. |
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A Fleeting Eclipse
| Title |
A Fleeting Eclipse |
| Explanation |
A lunar eclipse can be viewed [ http://www.skypub.com/eclipses/m960403a.html ] in a leisurely fashion. Visible to anyone [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960403.html ] on the night side of planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960819.html ] (weather permitting), totality often lasts an hour or so as the moon glides through the Earth's shadow. But a solar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951024.html ] is more fleeting. Totality can last a few minutes only for those fortunate enough to stand in the path of the Moon's shadow as it races across the Earth's surface. For the April 29, 1995 annular solar eclipse, photographer Olivier Staiger [ http://eclipse.span.ch/ ] was standing in Macara, Ecuador under partially cloudy skies. Just before the maximum annular eclipse [ http://eclipse.span.ch/annul.htm ] phase he recorded this dramatic moment [ http://eclipse.span.ch/eclipse.htm ] as a bird flew near the sun. Very accurate predictions of eclipses [ http://planets.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html ] have long been possible [ http://www.earthview.com/ages/mystified.htm ]. The next solar eclipse will occur on September 2 [ http://planets.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SElook/P97look.html ] and be visible from [ http://eclipse.span.ch/sept2.htm ] Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. The next lunar eclipse on September 16 [ http://planets.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH97.html#LE1997sep ] will be visible from [ http://www-clients.spirit.net.au/~minnah/Live.html ] the Eastern Hemisphere. |
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Tungurahua Volcano Erupts in
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Rising to an altitude of 16,
…
Tungurahua.TMOA2004014
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-01-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Tungurahua.TMOA2004014 |
|
Heavy Rain Floods South Amer
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Persistent, heavier-than-nor
…
SAmerica_TRM_2008064
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SAmerica_TRM_2008064 |
|
Shrimp Farms, Ecuador
PIA01911
Sol (our sun)
ASTER
| Title |
Shrimp Farms, Ecuador |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
In many parts of the world, wetlands are being converted to shrimp ponds in order to farm these crustaceans for food and sale. One example is on the west coast of Ecuador, south of Guayaquil. The 1991 Landsat image on top shows a coastal area where 143 square kilometers of wetlands were converted to shrimp ponds. By the time ASTER acquired the bottom image in 2001, 243 square kilometers had been converted, eliminating 83% of the wetlands. These scenes cover an area of 30 x 31 km, and are centered near 3.4 degrees south latitude and 80.2 degrees west longitude. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products. The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping, and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats, monitoring potentially active volcanoes, identifying crop stress, determining cloud morphology and physical properties, wetlands evaluation, thermal pollution monitoring, coral reef degradation, surface temperature mapping of soils and geology, and measuring surface heat balance. The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Size: 30 by 31 kilometers (18.6 by 19.2 miles) Location: 3.4 degrees South latitude, 80.2 degrees West longitude Orientation: North at top Image Data: Landsat bands 4,3 and 2, ASTER bands 3, 2, and 1 Original Data Resolution: Landsat 30 meters (24.6 feet), ASTER 15 meters (49.2 feet) Dates Acquired: Landsat: April 29, 1991, ASTER March 31, 2001 |
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