Satellite imagery: The view from space CGC1D – Unit 1 – Chapter7

Aerial Photographs Using the photographs of the Earth taken by airplanes, you can see the world in 3D using a stereoscope.

Aerial Photographs Google Earth shows aerial photographs in a digital format, with a general purpose map on top.

Satellite Imagery Satellite images are also pictures of the Earth taken from above, but these electronic images (instead of photographs) cover very large areas but show less detail. Remote Sensing – study of characteristics of Earth using photographs and electric images taken from aircraft and satellites Geostationary orbit – satellite orbing about 36000 km above the same place on Earth Near-polar orbit – fixed north-south orbit followed by satellites as Earth rotates below them Radar – in remote sensing, radar sensors send out microwaves to Earth’s surface and use the microwaves reflected back to create an image of human objects and natural features on Earth’s surface

Satellite Imagery Landsat was developed by the Americans and uses sunlight and heat reflected from the Earth’s surface to create images SPOT was developed by the Europeans and similar Landsat, but it can create 3D images of the surface was developed by the Europeans and similar Landsat, but it can create 3D images of the surface RADARSAT was developed by the Canadians and uses radar signals (or microwaves) instead of sunlight and heat, so it can be used at any time of day or night

A Breathing Earth Here’s a view looking at one year of seasonal transformations on Earth. Spring comes, then summer, fall and winter and if you are off the planet with a camera looking down at Earth, the seasons seem like breaths. Speed up the imagery, and the planet seems to pulse, like a living thing. John Nelson is a designer, well known for tracing complex weather patterns or cultural information on maps. He downloaded the twelve cloud-free satellite imagery mosaics of Earth (“Blue Marble Next Generation”) for each month of the year and combined them into animated gifs that show the movement of land ice and vegetation. He calls them “A Breathing Earth. Watch it breath! - Go to: http://www.npr.org/assets/img/2013/08/12/breathing-earth-2.gif

Weather forecasting Satellite images make it easier for weather forecasters to predict the weather!

Thinking About the Planet

SANDSTORM LEAVING NORTH AFRICA TOWARDS THE ATLANTIC – CANARY ISLAND.

GIBRALTAR STRAITS

NIGHT ARRIVES BETWEEN EUROPE & AFRICA

SWISS ALPS

ICELAND

BLACK SEA

RED SEA

OUR PLANET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UNIVERSE AT NIGHT

Rotating Planet: DAY AND NIGHT Europe and Africa at night (cloudless). Lights are already on in Paris and Barcelona but not in London, Lisbon or Madrid, where there is still daylight. You can see the Azores in the middle of the ocean. A little below Madeira and further Canary Islands and Cape Verde. You can observe the continental platforms from the British Isles to Canada and Iceland in the middle.

Atlantic Ocean Canary Islands ÁFRICA Continental Platform England Iceland Atlantic Ocean France Islas de la Madera y Azores Spain Italy Already night time here. Canary Islands ÁFRICA Cabo Verde Island

NIGHTFALL IN BRAZIL Atlantic Ocean Brazilian Continental Platform. Belo Horizonte Salvador Rio de Janeiro Grande São Paulo

Fortaleza Brasília Recife Goiânia Salvador Uberlândia Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro Grande São Paulo Florianópolis

NIGHTFALL IN USA

Still daylight in California. Chicago The biggest concentration of lights (from top to bottom) are the cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. Dallas Puerto Rico Houston Miami