A new satellite, which has the unique ability to capture pictures of Earth at night, has revealed its first photos. The satellite is a joint project between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The satellite contains a special sensor that allows it to take high-resolution images of of Earth at night, which are now being referred to as “Black Marble” images because of the planet’s resemblance to dark marble.

The first pictures from the satellite were released on Wednesday revealing unique, one of a kind photos of various regions of the planet. The photographs include images of cities lit up with lights, wildfires all over the world, and colorful auroras in the sky.

“For all the reasons that we need to see Earth during the day, we also need to see Earth at night,” said Steve Miller, a researcher at NOAA’s Colorado State University Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere. “Unlike humans, the Earth never sleeps.”

The images from the new NASA-NOAA satellite also revealed the first photographs from space of the Nile River immersed in lights from nearby cities. Other stunning images show the densely populated East Coast of the United States lit up from various cities in the area and even lights from individual fishing boats out at sea.

Utilizing new technology, the satellite was able to capture extremely unique images of both man-made and natural lights. While city lights were a popular muse for the first images released from the new satellite, the equipment was also able to capture natural lights. Among these images included stills of light from the moon, the northern lights, and fires not made by man.

The satellite was also able to capture changes in the sky light that appeared following Superstorm Sandy. At the end of October, New Jersey and New York were rocked by the strong storm that led to major power outages putting millions in the dark. During and after the hurricane’s reign of terror on the East Coast of the United States, the new satellite took images of the universally dark skyline in the region.

Major dark areas around New Jersey, lower Manhattan, and the Rockaways show this usually lit up area in complete darkness. The darkened New York and New Jersey skylines are strikingly juxtaposed to surrounding areas that still boast city lights.

The new images on the satellite are taken by a special sensor that was developed by NASA and NOAA for the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, or NPP, satellite. The NPP satellite was launched in October and has since orbited the planet roughly 14 times a day, nearly 500 miles above the surface.

The Black Marble photograph collection released on Wednesday took 312 orbits by the satellite to complete.The images were released almost 40 years after the famous Blue Marble photograph of Earth was taken from Apollo 17.

In the future, the NPP satellite is expected to play a part in weather forecasting and understanding climate change. Mitch Goldberg, a scientist for the NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System is excited about the advances the satellite will bring. “The very high resolution from VIIRS data will take forecasting weather events at night to a much higher level,” he said in a press statement.

article by © Science Recorder

NASA releases stunning images of Earth

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