Earth Weather As Seen by LCROSS

The Near Infrared (0.9-1.7 mm) Camera #2 image of Earth as part of a LCROSS payload calibration activity on Sept. 18, 2009. At the time of this image, the LCROSS spacecraft was nominally 348,000 miles (559,400 km) from Earth.

The Near Infrared (0.9-1.7 mm) Camera #2 image of Earth as part of a LCROSS payload calibration activity on Sept. 18, 2009. At the time of this image, the LCROSS spacecraft was nominally 348,000 miles (559,400 km) from Earth. The inset shows the Earth face as seen by the LCROSS spacecraft. The Earth’s north pole is indicated by the arrow. The image on right shows water vapor as seen by GOES at a similar time as the LCROSS observation. The red letters indicate potential weather features common in both images. Click image for full resolution. Credit: NASA Ames

Shown here is the slightly greater than quarter-Earth, sized ~1.5 deg along its diameter, in four colors. The false color (where red is warm, blue is cold) mid-infrared images reveal warmer summer mid-Atlantic temperatures about the equator and Northern Hemisphere. The images also reveal the whole Earth’s disk. South America is to the left. Africa is to the right. Antarctica is at the bottom. All instruments performed well during the calibration. Click image for full resolution. Credit: NASA Ames