Clouds from Different Angles By MISR

This series of MISR images shows an assortment of clouds over Florida. As we change the angle of view from forward to aftward, we see that the clouds show a displacement from bottom to top. The majority of this displacement is due to a geometric effect called parallax, and not true motion. This same effect occurs when you place a finger in front of your nose and blink one eye and then the other, and your finger appears To change position. This stereoscopic vision is processed by our brains to give us our depth perception, and this same principle applies to MISR. The greater apparent motion of the cirrus clouds tells us that they are higher than the low-level cumulus. This ability to localize clouds in 3-D is a necessary step to being able to associate different cloud types with their amount of solar reflection.

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MISR Instrument Team, MISR Project,

Published April 18, 2000
Data acquired April 18, 2000

Source:

Terra > MISR

Topic:

Atmosphere > Clouds > Cloud Types