It"s Earth Day today and we are high above the blue marble looking down on the border between Arkansas and Mississippi. Those small, blocky shapes are towns, fields, and pastures, and the teal green is the mighty Mississippi River. Anyone who has flown in the window seat of an airplane and gazed down at Earth below might wonder why the colors in this image look so unreal. That"s because they are. This image was taken in 2013 by Landsat 7, a NASA satellite that uses thermal infrared sensors to help scientists better distinguish flora, fauna, water, and manmade objects. For almost 50 years, NASA has been using satellite imagery to understand how climate change and population growth are affecting our fragile planet. These satellites help NASA see where deforestation and wildfires are happening, where glaciers are melting, and how rising waters are encroaching on cities.
Gazing down on planet Earth
Today in History
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Henningsvær Stadion, Norway
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Christmas Bird Count
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International Rock Day
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Patriot Day
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World Environment Day
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It s Star Wars Day
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Terraced rice fields, Yuanyang County, China
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Visiting Ahch-To on Star Wars Day
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And to think that I saw it in Cappadocia
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Skyscraper Day
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Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
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From pirate port to nature preserve
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Edinburgh festivals
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Welcome to the Year of the Pig
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Birds and bees, and why they re so important
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A cry for independence
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Shark Awareness Day
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An avian predator built for the snow
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The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
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Spring comes to Glacier National Park
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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Let s run em up!
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World Otter Day
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Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana
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In Sicily, history is everywhere
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Lick Observatory
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April Fools Day
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Happy Mother s Day
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An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
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Skyscraper Day