A catalog of NASA images and animations of our home planet

• Credit:

  Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA/GSFC

In this MODIS true-color surface reflectance image of the west coast of Madagascar, several fires have been detected and are superimposed on the image as red dots. MODIS has thermal detectors uniquely designed to detect thermal radiation as hot as 500K without saturating. Along the coast, sediment from numerous rivers may be mixing with phytoplankton and producing the greenish swirls. Most of the rivers appear to be heavily sediment-laden, showing up as pale beige, rather than the typical green or blue.

Images & Animations

• Webmaster: Paul Przyborski
• NASA Official: Steven E. Platnick
• Database Updated: May 6, 2013