PREVIEW

AssetID: 40177171

Headline: Amazing Earth: NASA Chose Best Satellite Images from 2019

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: Total Solar Eclipse in the South Pacific. On July 2, 2019, the region of South Pacific, Chile and Argentina had the rare opportunity to experience a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when a New Moon comes between the Earth and Sun, completely blocking out the entire disc of the Sun in the sky. The Sun, Moon and Earth must be in a direct line for a total eclipse to take place. A total solar eclipse is a spectacular event that is only visible from a small area on Earth. On average, the exact same spot on Earth sees a solar eclipse for a few minutes about every 375 years, although a total eclipse happens about every year and a half somewhere on Earth. As skywatchers watched a black circle move front of the Sun and the rest of the sky darken in twilight, our satellites were watching the scene from up above. The MODIS sensor on the Aqua satellite captured this view of the Moon’s shadow as it traveled eastward across the South Pacific. The shadow cast by an eclipse consists of the completely darkened umbra, the dark center portion of the Moon’s shadow. The reason why solar eclipses are so rare is that the Moon's umbra rarely hits the Earth's surface. Even during a total solar eclipse, the umbra only covers a small area on Earth. Aqua has a polar orbit and the MODIS sensor collects imagery in swaths that are roughly 1,450 miles (2,330 kilometers) wide. This image is a mosaic comprised of data collected at three different times. The middle swath reveals when the eclipse was in progress over the South Pacific (roughly 20:00 Universal Time.) ... STORY COPY: Amazing Earth: Satellite Images from 2019 This January, NASA have taken a look back at some notable satellite views of our planet from 2019. They explain: “Was 2019 an eventful year for you? It certainly was for our home planet. Earth experienced volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones and melting glaciers. From space, NASA saw a surge in Amazon rainforest wildfires as well as a total solar eclipse in the South Pacific. “What better way to reflect on the events of 2019 than through the “eyes” of NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites and instruments on the International Space Station? These space assets constantly orbit our globe and provide invaluable information to scientists, government agencies and people like you.”

Keywords:

PersonInImage: