Naked summits alternate with forested lowlands in Yosemite Valley, part of California’s Yosemite National Park. During the Pleistocene Ice Age, glaciers sculpted the underlying rocks in this region, leaving behind canyons, waterfalls, rugged peaks, and granite domes. As the ice retreated, forests grew, but forests only extend as high as 2,900 meters (9,500 feet) above sea level. Above the tree line are rocky landscapes with sparse alpine vegetation. So from the sky, Yosemite Valley appears as a light-and-dark patchwork of forest, rock, and shadow. The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus on NASA’s Landsat 7 satellite captured this true-color image of part of Yosemite Valley on August 18, 2001. The valley runs roughly east-west, and tall granite peaks lining the valley’s southern side cast long shadows across the valley floor. On the valley’s northern side, steep slopes appear almost white. Along the valley floor, roadways form narrow, meandering lines of off-white, past parking lots, buildings, and meadows. On the north side of Yosemite Valley is El Capitan. Shooting straight up more than 915 meters (3,000 feet) above the valley floor, El Capitan is considered the largest granite monolith in the world. This granite monolith sits across the valley from Bridalveil Fall, one of the valley’s most prominent waterfalls. Read more: <a href="http://go.nasa.gov/2bzGo3d" rel="nofollow">go.nasa.gov/2bzGo3d</a> Credit: NASA/Landsat7 <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park, California

The Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park is a remote, hold-over lightning caused fire which began on September 4 and is located five miles east of Yosemite Valley, CA. The fuel burning is timber and brush. There is active fire behavior with long range spotting. The National Park Service reports that a fire, that may be a spot fire, from the Meadow lightning-caused fire, was discovered at approximately 12:30 PM, Sunday September 7. The fire is approximately 2,582 acres. It is burning within the Little Yosemite Valley on both sides of the Merced River. All trails in the area are closed. Approximately 100 hikers and backpackers were evacuated from the fire area in Little Yosemite Valley. Half-Dome, a popular tourist destination, has been closed. The fire is burning in Yosemite Wilderness. Eighty-five hikers and climbers were also evacuated from the summit of Half Dome by helicopters from the California Highway Patrol, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, and CAL Fire. This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on Sept. 07, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner with information from the National Park Service and the National Interagency Coordination Center. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Rim Fire Expands into Yosemite National Park

The Rim Fire burning in the Stanislaus National Forest in California has crossed into the Yosemite National Park. The fire has burned more than 105,000 acres, approximately 162 square miles, of brush, oak and pine trees in steep and marginally accessible terrain. This image was taken by the Suomi NPP satellite's Day-Night Band around 0950Z on August 23, 2013. Credit NASA/NOAA <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

This image, acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft, is of the Carstens, Calif. wildfire which continues to burn in the foothills west of Yosemite National Park. Vegetation is displayed in green and burned and bare areas are dark to light gray.

NASA Spacecraft Images Wildfire Near Yosemite National Park

MISR Images Oak Fire Near Yosemite

On July 24, 2022, the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured data on a smoke plume from the Oak Fire burning near Yosemite National Park in California. As of July 26, the Oak Fire had scorched more than 18,000 acres (7,284 hectares) and was 26% contained, with thousands of residents under evacuation orders. Hot, dry air, along with vegetation parched from years of drought, fueled the fire's rapid spread. The MISR instrument contains nine cameras that view Earth at different angles. The left panel in the image above shows an image captured by MISR's nadir (downward-pointing) camera of a smoke plume from the fire. Although the fire was burning near Yosemite at the time, it wasn't a threat to the national park. The panel on the right indicates the height of various parts of the plume as measured by several of MISR's cameras. Yellow areas are higher than the red and blue regions in the smoke plume. The height of the plume top near the active fire was about 17,060 feet (5,200 meters), or roughly 3 miles (nearly 5 kilometers). In general, higher-altitude plumes transport smoke greater distances from the source, impacting communities downwind. On the day the images were captured, unhealthy-to-hazardous air quality was reported in the area around Lake Tahoe and Truckee, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) north of the fire. MISR researchers calculate smoke plume height using the publicly available MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) software tool. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24907

This image, acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft, shows the Rim Fire in and around Yosemite National Park in California after it was 80 percent contained.

NASA Spacecraft Captures New Image of Third-Largest Wildfire in California History

Nighttime View of California’s Rim Fire

The winter of 2013 was among the driest on record for California, setting the stage for an active fire season. By August 26, the Rim Fire had made its way into the record books. At just 15 percent contained, the fire is now the 13th largest in California since records began in 1932. Apart from being large, the fire is also threatening one of the United States’ greatest natural treasures: Yosemite National Park. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite tracked the growth of the fire between August 23 and August 26 in this series of nighttime images. The VIIRS day-night band is extremely sensitive to low light, making it possible to see the fire front from space. The brightest, most intense parts of the fire glow white, exceeding the brightness of the lights of Reno, Nevada to the north. Pale gray smoke streams north away from the fire throughout the sequence. The perimeter of the fire grows from day to day along different fronts, depending on winds and fire fighting efforts. On August 24, fire fighters focused their efforts on containing the western edge of the fire to prevent it from burning into Tuolumne City and the populated Highway 108 corridor. They also fought the eastern edge of the fire to protect Yosemite National Park. These efforts are evident in the image: Between August 23 and 24, the eastern edge of the fire held steady, and the western edge receded. The fire grew in the southeast. On the morning of August 25 fire managers reported that the fire was growing in the north and east. In the image, the most intense activity is just inside Yosemite National Park. Fire fighters reported that the Rim Fire continued to be extremely active on its eastern front on the morning of August 26, and this activity is visible in the image. By 8:00 a.m., the fire had burned 149,780 acres. The fire forced firefighters in Yosemite National Park to take measures to protect the Merced and Tuolumne Groves of Giant Sequoias, but the National Park Service reported that the trees were not in imminent danger. While parts of the park are closed, webcams show that most of the park has not been impacted. The Rim Fire started on the afternoon of August 17. It has destroyed 23 structures and threatened 4,500 other buildings. Its cause is under investigation. More details: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/18ilEAA" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/18ilEAA</a> NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day Night Band data. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: Suomi NPP - VIIRS <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Nighttime View of California’s Rim Fire

The winter of 2013 was among the driest on record for California, setting the stage for an active fire season. By August 26, the Rim Fire had made its way into the record books. At just 15 percent contained, the fire is now the 13th largest in California since records began in 1932. Apart from being large, the fire is also threatening one of the United States’ greatest natural treasures: Yosemite National Park. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite tracked the growth of the fire between August 23 and August 26 in a series of nighttime images. The VIIRS day-night band is extremely sensitive to low light, making it possible to see the fire front from space. The brightest, most intense parts of the fire glow white, exceeding the brightness of the lights of Reno, Nevada to the north. Pale gray smoke streams north away from the fire throughout the sequence. The perimeter of the fire grows from day to day along different fronts, depending on winds and fire fighting efforts. On August 24, fire fighters focused their efforts on containing the western edge of the fire to prevent it from burning into Tuolumne City and the populated Highway 108 corridor. They also fought the eastern edge of the fire to protect Yosemite National Park. These efforts are evident in the image: Between August 23 and 24, the eastern edge of the fire held steady, and the western edge receded. The fire grew in the southeast. On the morning of August 25 fire managers reported that the fire was growing in the north and east. In the image, the most intense activity is just inside Yosemite National Park. Fire fighters reported that the Rim Fire continued to be extremely active on its eastern front on the morning of August 26, and this activity is visible in the image. By 8:00 a.m., the fire had burned 149,780 acres. The fire forced firefighters in Yosemite National Park to take measures to protect the Merced and Tuolumne Groves of Giant Sequoias, but the National Park Service reported that the trees were not in imminent danger. While parts of the park are closed, webcams show that most of the park has not been impacted. The Rim Fire started on the afternoon of August 17. It has destroyed 23 structures and threatened 4,500 other buildings. Its cause is under investigation. More details: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/18ilEAA" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/18ilEAA</a> NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day Night Band data. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Instrument: Suomi NPP - VIIRS <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

The effects of California severe multiyear drought are seen in this pair of images acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft of the area northeast of Madera, in the Sierra Nevada Moutains foothills between Yosemite National Park and the San Joaquin Valley

Images Show Severity of California Drought

The plume of carbon monoxide pollution from the Rim Fire burning in and near Yosemite National Park, Calif., shows a three-day running average of daily measurements from NASA Aqua spacecraft.

NASA Aqua Spacecraft Images Pollution from California Rim Fire

Mt. Dana and Dana Plateau in the Tuolumne River Basin within Yosemite National Park, Calif., as seen out the window of a Twin Otter aircraft carrying NASA Airborne Snow Observatory on April 3, 2013.

Tuolumne River Basin seen by NASA Airborne Snow Observatory

ISS036-E-035683 (24 Aug. 2013) --- One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station used a 50mm lens to record this image of massive wildfires in and around California's Yosemite National Park on Aug. 24.

Earth Observation taken during the Expedition 36 mission

California Wildfires Captured by NASA Satellite

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite took these images of the Carr Fire (left) and the Ferguson Fire (right) on July 27 and July 29, respectively. The Carr Fire, which has been burning near Redding, California since July 23, spanned 110,154 acres as of July 31 and was 27 percent contained. The Ferguson Fire, near Yosemite National Park, spanned 57,846 acres as of July 31 and was 33 percent contained. More info is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22488

Earth Observation taken during the Expedition 36 mission

ISS036-E-035677 (24 Aug. 2013) --- One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station used a 50mm lens to record this high oblique view of the massive drought-aided Rim Fire in and around California's Yosemite National Park and the Stanislaus National Forest on Aug. 24. Editor's Note: The fire began on Aug. 17 and, as of Aug. 26, continues to burn. More than 224 square miles have been affected.

Earth Observation

ISS036-E-037185 (26 Aug. 2013) --- One of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station used a 50mm lens to record this view of the massive drought-aided Rim Fire in and around California's Yosemite National Park and the Stanislaus National Forest on Aug. 26. The fire began on Aug. 17 and, at the time of this photo on Aug. 26, it still continues to burn, as some 3,700 firefighters battle it. More than 224 square miles have been affected.

In this image from NASA Aqua satellite, the red areas seen by the MODIS instrument revealed that live fuel moisture had excessively dried up by more than 50 percent prior to the Rim Fire in August 2013.

2013 Yosemite Fire Assessed by NASA Satellite Data

NASA AVIRIS Map shows Spectral Signature of 2013 Rim Fire

At left, a NASA AVIRIS map shows the spectral signature of the 2013 Rim fire in and near Yosemite National Park, California, the third largest in the state's history, burning more than 250,000 acres. Almost two years later, forest restoration efforts are still ongoing. Charred wood has a strong signal in the wavelengths shown here in red, so areas that are predominantly red in the image were heavily burned. The wavelengths of green, visible light (the color of vegetation) appear on this map as blue. There are no solid blue patches on the map because no large areas of green, living foliage survived the fire. Purple, a mixture of red and blue, indicates an area where charred wood and living plants are mingled. This image provides far more information about the state of the post-fire vegetation than the view on the right, which is what an observer flying overhead would see. AVIRIS is a unique NASA science instrument that measures the complete solar reflected portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with unmatched spectral range, calibration accuracy and signal-to-noise ratio. AVIRIS spectra are measured from 370 to 2,500 nanometers at 9.8-nanometer intervals. Images are acquired with 20-, 6- or 4-meter (66-, 20, or 13-feet) spatial resolution with a 34 degree swath. Up to 100 million spectra are measured in image format on each flight. The spectral image measurements are provided in orthorectified (geometrically corrected) format for direct use by scientists. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19361

The Oak Fire

The Oak Fire started on July 22nd, 2022 at 2:10 PM PDT near Carstens Road and Highway 140 in Mariposa County, west of Yosemite. The fire has burned over 19,000 acres. In the first few days of the Oak Fire, over 1,400 structures were threatened, 3 were damaged, and 41 destroyed. Evacuation orders and road closures were issued throughout the region. The Oak Fire was captured in an ECOSTRESS Land Surface Temperature image on July 22nd with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Celsius. ECOSTRESS is a thermal instrument on the International Space Station that measures the temperature of the ground, which is hotter than the air temperature during the day. It was launched to the space station in 2018. Its primary mission is to identify critical thresholds of water use and water stress in plants and to detect the timing, location, and predictive factors leading to plant water uptake decline and/or cessation. The nature of the high-resolution data provided by ECOSTRESS allows it to record heat related phenomena such as heat waves and wildfires. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25481

America National Parks Viewed in 3D by NASA MISR Anaglyph 4

Just in time for the U.S. National Park Service's Centennial celebration on Aug. 25, NASA's Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite is releasing four new anaglyphs that showcase 33 of our nation's national parks, monuments, historical sites and recreation areas in glorious 3D. Shown in the annotated image are Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, Devils Postpile National Monument, Yosemite National Park, and parts of Death Valley National Park. MISR views Earth with nine cameras pointed at different angles, giving it the unique capability to produce anaglyphs, stereoscopic images that allow the viewer to experience the landscape in three dimensions. The anaglyphs were made by combining data from MISR's vertical-viewing and 46-degree forward-pointing camera. You will need red-blue glasses in order to experience the 3D effect; ensure you place the red lens over your left eye. The images have been rotated so that north is to the left in order to enable 3D viewing because the Terra satellite flies from north to south. All of the images are 235 miles (378 kilometers) from west to east. These data were acquired July 7, 2016, Orbit 88051. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20892

This visible image of California Rim Fire was acquired Aug. 23, 2013 by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer MISR instrument on NASA Terra spacecraft, showing extensive, brownish smoke.

NASA Terra Spacecraft Eyes Smoke Plumes from Massive Rim Fire Near Yosemite

NASA Sees Smoke from California’s Long Valley Wildfire

NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a large area of smoke from the Long Valley Wildfire that was affecting Yosemite National Park. This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument that flies aboard the Aqua satellite. The image, taken July 20, showed actively burning areas in red, as detected by MODIS’s thermal bands. According to Inciweb, an interagency all-risk incident information management system that coordinates with federal, state and local agencies to manage wildfires, the fire started on Tuesday July 11, 2017. It is located about two miles north of Doyle, California and about 50 miles north of Reno, Nevada. As of July 21 the fire covered 83,733 acres and was 91 percent contained. NASA image courtesy NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Rim Fire, California

On August 23, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of the drought-fueled Rim fire burning in central California, near Yosemite National Park. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires. Winds blew a thick smoke plume toward the northeast. A smaller fire—American fire—burned to the north. The lower image is a photograph that shows the fire burning at night on August 21. Started on August 17, 2013, the fast-moving fire had already charred more than 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) by August 23, despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes, and roads in the area were closed. As of August 23, no structures had been reported destroyed, but the fire threatened the towns of Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake. By late August, wildfires had burned 3.4 million acres in the United States, making 2013 somewhat less active than other recent years. Over the last decade, fires charred 5.7 million acres on average by August 22, according to statistics published the National Interagency Fire Center. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland. Instrument: Aqua - MODIS Credit: <a href="http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Earth Observatory</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Satellite View of Rim Fire On August 25, 2013

On August 25, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image of the drought-fueled Rim fire burning in central California, near Yosemite National Park. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires. Winds blew a thick smoke plume toward the northeast. A smaller fire—American fire—burned to the north. Started on August 17, 2013, the fast-moving fire had already charred more than 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) by August 23, despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes, and roads in the area were closed. As of August 23, no structures had been reported destroyed, but the fire threatened the towns of Groveland and Pine Mountain Lake. By late August, wildfires had burned 3.4 million acres in the United States, making 2013 somewhat less active than other recent years. Over the last decade, fires charred 5.7 million acres on average by August 22, according to statistics published the National Interagency Fire Center. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland. Instrument: Terra - MODIS Credit: <a href="http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Earth Observatory</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>