Earth's Surface 78x52 (72x48) Poster

Recommended size to fit a standard frame: 78x52 inches (original size: 72x48 inches at 300 PPI, 311 MP). Many other sizes available. Click 'Customize it!' on the right. This spectacular “blue marble” image is the most detailed true-colour image of the entire Earth to date. Using a collection of satellite-based observations, scientists and visualizers stitched together months of observations of the land surface, oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless, true-colour mosaic of every square kilometre (.386 square mile) of our planet. Much of the information contained in this image came from a single remote-sensing device-NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. Flying over 700 km above the Earth onboard the Terra satellite, MODIS provides an integrated tool for observing a variety of terrestrial, oceanic, and atmospheric features of the Earth. The land and coastal ocean portions of these images are based on surface observations collected from June through September 2001 and combined, or composited, every eight days to compensate for clouds that might block the sensor’s view of the surface on any single day. Two different types of ocean data were used in these images: shallow water true colour data, and global ocean colour (or chlorophyll) data. Topographic shading is based on the GTOPO 30 elevation dataset compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey’s EROS Data Centre. MODIS observations of polar sea ice were combined with observations of Antarctica made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s AVHRR sensor—the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. The cloud image is a composite of two days of imagery collected in visible light wavelengths and a third day of thermal infra-red imagery over the poles. Global city lights, derived from 9 months of observations from the Defence Meteorological Satellite Program, are superimposed on a darkened land surface map. Credits: NASA: The Visible Earth NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre Image by Reto Stöckli (land surface, shallow water, clouds). Enhancements by Robert Simmon (ocean colour, compositing, 3D globes, animation). Data and technical support: MODIS Land Group; MODIS Science Data Support Team; MODIS Atmosphere Group; MODIS Ocean Group Additional data: USGS EROS Data Centre (topography); USGS Terrestrial Remote Sensing Flagstaff Field Centre (Antarctica); Defence Meteorological Satellite Program (city lights).