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Browse All : Images of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) from 2006 and 2007 and December 2006

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The Carina Nebula: Star Birt …
Title The Carina Nebula: Star Birth in the Extreme
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. In celebration of the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a team of astronomers is releasing one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras. READ: Junior version of this article Amazing Space Learn about this story in the Star Witness, a science newspaper available on our sister site, Amazing Space. [ http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/news/archive/2007/02/ ] It is a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth &#151, and death &#151, is taking place. This image is a mosaic of the Carina Nebula assembled from 48 frames taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The Hubble images were taken in the light of neutral hydrogen during March and July 2005. Color information was added with data taken in December 2001 and March 2003 at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Red corresponds to sulfur, green to hydrogen, and blue to oxygen emission.
Haze along the Himalaya
Title Haze along the Himalaya
Description As the new year opened, haze still clung to the southern side of the Himalaya as it had in late 2006. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14046 ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on January 1, 2007. This image shows the region around Kanpur in northern India. In this image, haze appears as a dull, gray, translucent band partially obscuring the view of the land surface. Opaque white clouds also appear south of the mountains, and tiny clouds dot the skies over the Himalaya in the north. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [ http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0609584104v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=india+rice&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT ] in December 2006, persistent pollution in this part of the world both dims incoming sunlight and reduces rainfall, hampering India's rice harvest. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Kanpur ] of this region.
Cyclone Indlala
Title Cyclone Indlala
Description On March 14, 2007, storm-weary Madagascar braced for its fourth land-falling tropical cyclone in as many months. Cyclone Indlala was hovering off the island's northeast coast when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this photo-like image at 1:40 p.m. local time (10:40 UTC). Just over a hundred kilometers offshore, the partially cloudy eye at the heart of the storm seems like a vast drain sucking in a disk of swirling clouds. According to reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued less than three hours after MODIS captured this image, Indlala had winds of 115 knots (132 miles per hour), with gusts up to 140 knots (161 mph). Wave heights were estimated to be 36 feet. At the time of the report, the storm was predicted to intensify through the subsequent 12-hour period, to turn slightly southwest, and to strike eastern Madagascar as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds up to 125 knots (144 mph), and gusts up to 150 knots (173 mph). According to Reuters AlertNet news service, Madagascar's emergency response resources were taxed to their limit in early March 2007 as a result of extensive flooding in the North, drought and food shortages in the South, and three previous hits from cyclones in the preceding few months: Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Indlala KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/indlala_amo_2007073.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Cyclone Indlala
Title Cyclone Indlala
Description Cyclone Indlala came ashore on the island of Madagascar on March 15, 2007, as a Category 3 storm, according to data provided by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm was the country's sixth hit of the 2006-2007 storm season. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows Indlala draped over the northern part of the island. Bands of swirling clouds spiral around the eye of the storm. According to Reuters AlertNet news service, Madagascar's emergency response resources were taxed to their limit in early March 2007 as a result of extensive flooding in the North, drought and food shortages in the South, and three previous hits from cyclones in the preceding few months: Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. The arrival of Indlala interrupted emergency relief efforts and worsened an already difficult situation. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Indlala KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/indlala_tmo_2007074.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Cyclone Indlala Floods Madag …
Title Cyclone Indlala Floods Madagascar
Description Cyclone Indlala hovered over northern Madagascar for the better part of three days after coming ashore on March 14, 2007, as a Category 3 storm. By March 18, the clouds had cleared enough to reveal the extensive flooding left in the storm's wake. These images, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, show the northern tip of the island country. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, so that water is blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan. Rivers throughout the region are clearly swollen in the wake of the storm. The Xinhua News Agency [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DHRV-6ZG4JY?OpenDocument ] reported that 14 people had died in the winds and floods, while approximately 14,000 people were affected. Cyclone season in the Southern Indian Ocean typically runs from November to March. The current season, 2006-2007, has proven to be very active. Indlala was the fourth storm to come ashore over Madagascar since December. Cyclone Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] struck in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Madagascar/2007077 ] of Madagascar.
Cyclone Indlala Floods Madag …
Title Cyclone Indlala Floods Madagascar
Description Cyclone Indlala hovered over northern Madagascar for the better part of three days after coming ashore on March 14, 2007, as a Category 3 storm. By March 18, the clouds had cleared enough to reveal the extensive flooding left in the storm's wake. These images, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, show the northern tip of the island country. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, so that water is blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan. Rivers throughout the region are clearly swollen in the wake of the storm. The Xinhua News Agency [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DHRV-6ZG4JY?OpenDocument ] reported that 14 people had died in the winds and floods, while approximately 14,000 people were affected. Cyclone season in the Southern Indian Ocean typically runs from November to March. The current season, 2006-2007, has proven to be very active. Indlala was the fourth storm to come ashore over Madagascar since December. Cyclone Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] struck in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Madagascar/2007077 ] of Madagascar.
Madagascar's Cyclone Season
Title Madagascar's Cyclone Season
Description When Cyclone Jaya [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14196 ] came ashore over northern Madagascar on April 2, 2007, it was the fourth cyclone to do so since December 2006. Three other cyclones passed near enough during that period to drench the southern African island nation. Two weeks before Jaya struck, Cyclone Indlala [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14171 ] cut across the island. Favio [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14148 ] and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14144 ] brought rain to the region in February, and Clovis, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] Bondo, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] and Anita all struck Madagascar in December. The cumulative effect of the seven cyclones was widespread flooding and displacement in the northern half of the country, reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SHES-6ZXRFV?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=TC-2007-000034-MDG ]). This pair of images shows the rainfall the storms brought to the region based on measurements made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. The top image compares the total rainfall between December 1, 2006, and April 5, 2007, with the average totals recorded during the same four-month period between 1996 and 2006. The anomaly reveals that northern Madagascar and parts of mainland Africa received more rain than normal between December 1, 2006, and April 5, 2007, along the tracks of the storms. The southern half of Madagascar was in extreme drought, which is also illustrated by this image. The pale yellow regions indicate where less rain fell than normal. The lower image illustrates cyclone-related rainfall totals from November 30, 2006, when Cyclone Anita formed, to April 5, 2007, as Cyclone Jaya was dissipating. Rainfall not related to the cyclones was removed from the total. The highest rainfall is shown in red and is concentrated in northern Madagascar where the storms came ashore. During this five-month period, TRMM recorded up to 790.6 millimeters (31.1 inches) of rain off the north coast of Madagascar. NASA images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Fires in Southeast Australia
Title Fires in Southeast Australia
Description In the final week of April, clouds often blanketed southeastern Australia when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead, blocking the sensor's view of the fires that were burning in the region. On April 26, Aqua MODIS captured this image of the area, and through a parting in the thin clouds, several fires (locations marked in red) were detected in the Barry Mountains. These mountains were devastated by huge bushfires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14000 ] in December 2006 and January 2007. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?SEAustralia3/ ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Southeast Australia
Title Fires in Southeast Australia
Description In the final week of April, clouds often blanketed southeastern Australia when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead, blocking the sensor's view of the fires that were burning in the region. On April 26, Aqua MODIS captured this image of the area, and through a parting in the thin clouds, several fires (locations marked in red) were detected in the Barry Mountains. These mountains were devastated by huge bushfires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14000 ] in December 2006 and January 2007. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?SEAustralia3/ ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Victoria, Australia
Title Fires in Victoria, Australia
Description Rivers of smoke up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) wide poured from burning areas in Victoria's Great Dividing Range Mountains on January 11, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Many fires were burning dangerously close to Lake Thomson, the principal source of water for the city of Melbourne (beyond the western edge of the image). According to news reports on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Website, a change in winds overnight between January 11 and 12 eased the fire threat somewhat, but both stock and pasture were lost to flames in previous days. The moderated conditions allowed firefighters to conduct backburns (controlled burns of areas in the path of the wildfires) and build containment lines. Still, the danger of these fires, some of which have been burning in the region since early December 2006, remains high. Hundreds of thousands of hectares (1 hectare is about 2.5 acres) have been burned in Victoria since late 2006. Extremely dry, windy, and hot conditions since spring have kept the fire danger extreme across much of the region for weeks at a time. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, extreme fire conditions in the area are more common during years when El Niño events occur. During the fall and early winter (2006-2007), an El Niño likely influenced the area's climate. However, according to the Bureau's most recent (January 10, 2007) update, the ongoing El Niño appeared to be weakening, which they said "bodes well for a switch towards wetter conditions across Australia sometime in the late summer or autumn." NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Fires in Victoria, Australia
Title Fires in Victoria, Australia
Description Clouds had been hiding Victoria from the view of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites in previous weeks, but when the skies cleared on January 10, 2007, it was obvious that fires that had been burning in the area since early December 2006 were still raging. Places where Terra MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Rivers of smoke pour from the burning vegetation. Although vegetation in this dry part of the world doesn't appear as vibrantly green as forests in wetter parts of the world, there is nevertheless a clear difference between forests that have burned and those that have not burned (or were lightly burned). The unburned areas appear dark green, while the burned areas appear brown. A huge swath of the Great Dividing Range Mountains between Lake Eildon and the town of Omeo burned in late 2006 and early 2007. The fires may continue for several months. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?SEAustralia3/2007010/FAS_SEAustralia3.2007010.terra ] of the area in a variety of resolutions and formats, including an infrared-enhanced version that makes the burn scar more obvious. A 250-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2007/Australia.A2007010.0025.250m.kmz ] of the Victorian fires is available for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Fires in Victoria, Australia
Title Fires in Victoria, Australia
Description Fires that began in early December 2006 were still raging through the Great Dividing Range Mountains of eastern Victoria, Australia, on January 16, 2007. This image of the region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite just before 11:00 a.m. local time. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. The forested mountains were green where they had not burned and deep brown where the fires had scorched them. Homes and livestock were lost near Tatong on January 16, when strong winds and high temperatures increased fire activity. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Torrential Rain Brings Flood …
Title Torrential Rain Brings Floods and Landslides to South America
Description Persistent rain has fallen over Central Bolivia since December 2006, causing devastating floods and landslides. By February, several rivers had flooded, but the most serious flooding was along the Mamoré River. Widespread flooding was evident along the river 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 on February 25, 2007. The water, black in this false-color image, which was made with visible and infrared light, fills in low-lying areas and wetlands on either side of the river. The river itself is also swollen, but a corridor of relatively dry land, bright green, separates it from the surrounding floods. The floods stretch hundreds of kilometers along the length of the river, as shown in the large image. The floods have caused at least 35 deaths and are being called the worst floods to strike Bolivia in 35 years, reported the BBC [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6397933.stm ] on February 26. The floods have surrounded the regional capital city of Trinidad, which is tan in the image. About 90,000 people are stranded in the city, reported BBC News, and the city may have to be evacuated if water rises over a protective dike. The floods have affected a wide area beyond Trinidad. The land around the Mamoré and other central and eastern Bolivian rivers is important for agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimated that the floods have destroyed about 70,000 hectares of food and cash crops and more than 11,000 head of cattle as of February 23. FAO expects that the region will face food shortages as a result of the floods. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bolivia/2007056 ] of the floods are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Torrential Rain Brings Flood …
Title Torrential Rain Brings Floods and Landslides to South America
Description Persistent rain has fallen over Central Bolivia since December 2006, causing devastating floods and landslides. By February, several rivers had flooded, but the most serious flooding was along the Mamoré River. Widespread flooding was evident along the river 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 on February 25, 2007. The water, black in this false-color image, which was made with visible and infrared light, fills in low-lying areas and wetlands on either side of the river. The river itself is also swollen, but a corridor of relatively dry land, bright green, separates it from the surrounding floods. The floods stretch hundreds of kilometers along the length of the river, as shown in the large image. The floods have caused at least 35 deaths and are being called the worst floods to strike Bolivia in 35 years, reported the BBC [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6397933.stm ] on February 26. The floods have surrounded the regional capital city of Trinidad, which is tan in the image. About 90,000 people are stranded in the city, reported BBC News, and the city may have to be evacuated if water rises over a protective dike. The floods have affected a wide area beyond Trinidad. The land around the Mamoré and other central and eastern Bolivian rivers is important for agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimated that the floods have destroyed about 70,000 hectares of food and cash crops and more than 11,000 head of cattle as of February 23. FAO expects that the region will face food shortages as a result of the floods. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bolivia/2007056 ] of the floods are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Twenty Full Moons
Title Twenty Full Moons
Explanation In celebration of tonight's Full Moon [ http://www.inconstantmoon.com/cyc_phas.htm ], the first of 2007, consider this grid of twenty Full Moons [ http://www.photoastronomique.net/ photo_us.php?nom=0505-0612 ]. From upper left to lower right, the images represent every lunation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051113.html ] from May 2005 through December 2006. The consecutive Full Moons are all shown at the same scale [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061228.html ], so unlike the famous Moon Illusion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031011.html ] the change in apparent size seen here is real. (For example, compare early and late 2006 Full Moons.) The change is caused by the variation [ http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/moon_ap_per.html ] in lunar distance due to the Moon's significantly non-circular orbit. A subtler change in appearance can also be noticed on close examination, as the Moon seems to wobble and rock slightly from one Full Moon to the next. This effect, known as libration [ http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Smoon4.htm ], is more dramatic and easier to see in a twenty frame movie [ http://www.photoastronomique.net/geant/0505-0612.html ] comparing these twenty Full Moons.
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