Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

January 30, 1997
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
 the highest resolution version available.

Earth's Temperature
Credit:
GMS, GOES-8, Meteosat, SSEC, NCDC, U. Wisc., NOAA

Explanation: What's the temperature outside? No matter where you are on Earth, the above map can tell you. This global montage was created using the temperature data from numerous satellites orbiting the Earth. This map indicates temperatures recorded early on January 26th, 1997, but an even more recent map -- updated every 6 hours -- is usually available. For ocean colors on the map, lighter shades of blue indicate warmer temperatures, while for the land, red hues indicate relative warmth. Just looking at the map one can see that summer warms Earth's southern hemisphere, while winter chills Earth's northern hemisphere. The key at the bottom lists temperatures in degrees Centigrade that can be easily converted to degrees Fahrenheit.

Tomorrow's picture: Hamlet of Oberon


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC
&: Michigan Tech. U.