Picking Planets

Directions Many inferences that astronomers make about planetary features are based on observation of earth Closely examine the following pictures with your team Classify the features into categories of your choosing Attempt to determine what the picture is Explain your categories and classification to the rest of the class

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Launched last month, NASA's Landsat 7 spacecraft now orbits planet Earth. Looking down from an altitude of 700 km, Landsat 7 can map the planet's surface in visible and infrared bands and resolve features 30 meters across or smaller. For example, this striking engineering test image is a natural-looking color composite of 3 different visible wavelength bands. It nicely shows details of urban areas around San Francisco, California, USA, nestled in the surrounding terrain (north is up). Flowing blue-green colors track the spring runoff from the Sierras to the west and neighboring mountains into the bay and out into the Pacific ocean. Landsat 7 is currently performing well in its check out phase and controllers are preparing the satellite for regular operations. #3

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#5 Quebec Manicouagan Resevoir, 70 km across, impact from 200 million years ago.

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