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File:North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP.jpg

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Description
English: A view of most of North America taken from a low orbit of about 826 km altitude. The whole hemisphere is not visible owing to the low orbit, and the horizon is at a distance of about 3,300 km, while the radius of the planet is 6,371 km. The diameter seen from this height is about 125 degrees.

An image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's Earth-observing research satellite, Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on 4 January 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed 'Suomi NPP' on 24 January 2012 to honour the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin. Suomi NPP carries five instruments on board. The biggest and most important instrument is The Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite or VIIRS.

To read more about NASA's Suomi NPP go to: npp.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html

Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring
Español: Una vista de la mayor parte de América del Norte tomada desde una órbita baja. Esta vista resulta de una altura del satélite que está a unos 826 kilómetros por encima de la superficie de la Tierra. Debido a la órbita baja el hemisferio no es totalmente visible, y el horizonte se encuentra en una distancia de tan sólo aproximadamente 3300 km, mientras que el radio de nuestro planeta es 6371 kilómetros. El diámetro del horizonte visto desde esta altura es de aproximadamente 125 grados.
Date 4 January 2012, 08:49:23
Source - Blue Marble 2012
Author NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre

Licensing

Public domain This file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
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