PARIS: The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite of NASA has released its first spectacular view of the entire sun-lit side of the Earth clicked from 1.6 million kms away.
DSCOVR is equipped with the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) that captures a series of 10 images in a variety of wavelengths, from near infrared to ultraviolet light, which can be examined in a varied number of ways. It is a four megapixel chart-coupled (CCD) camera and telescope.
The high-resolution images show desert sand structures, river systems and complex cloud patterns on planet Earth. The bluish tint in the photo is due to the atmospheric effects, which the researchers at NASA are trying to remove and would be sending regular, clearer images by this September.
Primarily, the objective of DSCOVR is to maintain the nation’s real- time solar wind monitoring capabilities for early warnings of space weather and forecasts. Besides this, the camera observations will be used to measure ozone levels in Earth’s atmosphere, plant growth on the ground, build maps showing the distribution of dust and volcanic ash around the globe and many more.
Theimages will help scientists to monitor the daily variations across the entire globe.These have opened up a huge repository of new data for the scientists to explore.Looking at these, it feels all the more important to protect this stunning new marble, as it is a beautiful reminder for everyone to save the only planet we have, as rightly tweeted by US President Barak Obama.
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