NASA's Other Side of the Amazing 11500x11500 Blue Marble
The other side of our Blue Planet.
Last week, NASA released the latest image in its iconic Blue Marble series of photographs of the Earth. This week, due to popular demand, the space agency released another version of the Blue Marble 2012 image. This one shows the Eastern Hemisphere.
"Responding to public demand, NASA scientists created a companion image to the wildly popular 'Blue Marble' released last week (January 25, 2012)," NASA said. "The new image is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Both of these new 'Blue Marble' images are images taken by a new instrument flying aboard Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)."
In case you were wondering, NASA said that the four vertical lines of haze you see in the photo are a reflection of sunlight off the ocean, or 'glint,' that VIIRS captured as it orbited the globe.
The Western Hemisphere Blue Marble 2012 image, released January 25, has clocked up 3.1 million views making it one of the most viewed images on Flickr after just one week.
Hit up the NASA Flickr to get full-size Eastern Hemisphere Blue Marble 2012. For more on the Blue Marble series click here.
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It's no big deal, if you've ever used OrbiterSim with the high-res Earth textures you've seen this before. It's not like this is an actual photo anyway, it's a montage...
We have given up freedom for a false sense of security. What a joke.
That's just asking for a flame war...
Haters gonna hate
I asked for Africa, and now I got it.............
Now, Bring me Antartica! I want to see those penguins
Our planet is so beautiful!
want Asia too!
Wow amazing how this entire part of the planet is turning into desert.
If you looked at that pic 20yrs ago there was a lot more greenery in Africa, especially near the river delta.
wow I can see my home from here!
Wow amazing how this entire part of the planet is turning into desert.If you looked at that pic 20yrs ago there was a lot more greenery in Africa, especially near the river delta.
The pictures were taken during winter yo.
Wow amazing how this entire part of the planet is turning into desert.If you looked at that pic 20yrs ago there was a lot more greenery in Africa, especially near the river delta.
You have misinterpreted the photo. According to the Western Hemisphere shots, Canada and the US have the same desert wasteland appearance as Saudi Arabia, which we know isn't correct.
VIIRS, the instrument taking the photos, is designed to focus on the atmosphere and accentuate things like clouds and aerosols, it is NOT meant to be a color accurate representation of ground foliage.
It may not be accurate in color but it is taken from our planet these days and the high resolution brings a greater sense of dimension. Try to see what you can get from it and don't discredit the image for not being all it could be.
Our planet is so beautiful!
preserve it that way
It's no big deal, if you've ever used OrbiterSim with the high-res Earth textures you've seen this before. It's not like this is an actual photo anyway, it's a montage...
Yeah, you are right. And of course your 'textures', wherever they came from, are not a montage.
Jesus, some folks just want to talk down everything; and that's from Mr. Glass Half Empty.
Is there anyone out there that can examine this image with special software to find out if it has been digitally color enhanced. I would really like to know if it was.
want Asia too!
well, I think 1/3 of Asia is visible in the pic, there's Arabia, India, Persia, and Burma is slightly visible.
Don't mind me, I\m a Geography nerd...
you bastards happy now that you get to see something other than the US? damn yutz
well, I think 1/3 of Asia is visible in the pic, there's Arabia, India, Persia, and Burma is slightly visible. Don't mind me, I\m a Geography nerd...
Yeah but 1/3 isn't 1...
Dear alien friends,
This is a photo of your next holiday destination! Please visit us after seeing the Blue Marble.
Pyree
is it just me or do these pictures not make sense. theres no way thats one half of our earth, more like a qaurter of it in that pic. how much photoshop did nasa use to make these pics and y cant nasa ever give us unedited pics. srsly just look at that pic, the UK would be in the north pole, russia would wrap almost all the way around the backside of the earth and there would be no room left for north and south america. let alone the oceans that divide them. screw nasa they are worse then apple at creating a false reality.
our planet is so beautiful yet so very strange....we don't really understand how it works....wow
why is there so much desert, especially in north america??! i was under the impression that the midwest was not that bad
why is there so much desert, especially in north america??! i was under the impression that the midwest was not that bad
You do know that North America is not in this picture right? We're in the WESTERN hemisphere. Just checking... LOL.