NASA video compilation of satellite imagery released

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun celebrating Earth month by posting a video selection of 2012’s best examples of our planet’s satellite exploration.

The video collects true-color photographs and time lapses, as well as computer-generated visualizations.

nasa-usa-night-satellite-view NASA video compilation of satellite imagery released News and Reviews

Night-time exposure taken from the recently launched Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Satellite (Suomi NPP).

Global visual statistics have never been this beautiful

Daily, with the help of dozens of satellites, NASA gathers invaluable geological, oceanic and atmospheric information, used to predict or record important events. Uploading this data on its website has allowed scientists around the world to contribute to problem solving on an unprecedented, grand scale.

Most of the images also have an undeniable visual appeal that attracts everyone else, and gets hopes high for a quicker invention of the space-car.

Until then, though, NASA can keep treating us with compilations, such as this month’s compilation. For following the video more easily, key details are listed below.

The “cloud-less” night sequences are composed from parts of multiple images taken over the course of 23 days, stitched together for 100% clarity.

Hurricane Sandy’s enormous size is put into global perspective, at 1:52. Another noticeable, and worthy of explanation sequence is that of 2012 record U.S. wildfire activity, shown around the 1:16 mark. Dust storms and gas emissions are highlighted starting with minute 2:00.

The video features different examples of humanity’s struggle

Thanks to NASA’s program we can appreciate the results of scientists’ ingenuity in discovering new crucial water resources around the world in the most unexpected places. The curious looking, evolving green dots images displayed around 00:55 are false-color photographs of crop circle development in the middle of Saudi Arabia’s desert, between 1987 and 2012.

The particularly fractal photos shown at 01:02 are of Honduras’ intricate wet lands. In this case, though, overharvesting of shrimp farms can soon destroy the beautiful landscape. It is an inconvenient situation, as this region is significantly important for producing food, to both South and North America.

NASA still needs support

Due to making their images publicly available, NASA has re-gained more popular appeal in recent years. One of the most committed “remixes” of their content is a video created by photographer Bruce W. Berry, who collected footage taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS), painstakingly color graded, de-noised, de-flickered and stabilized, and compiled it into one of the most beautiful time-lapses ever.

With the help of grown-ups who wanted to become astronauts, like Bruce Berry, NASA recently succeeded in financing a promo video that will be shown next year in theaters, country-wide, before each “Star Trek: Into Darkness” movie projection. This is for teaching kids that they can have a real connection to science and righteousness, and hopefully contribute to a generation that will start fewer wars and explore more of space.

More details about the data used in this month’s NASA video compilation are available at their official website.

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