posted 02-03-2012 02:03 PM               

Blue Marble 2012

'Blue Marble' images of the Earth taken from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite — Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP).

These composite images use a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on Jan. 4 and Jan. 23, 2012. The NPP satellite was renamed 'Suomi NPP' on Jan. 24, 2012 to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin.

Suomi NPP is NASA's next Earth-observing research satellite. It is the first of a new generation of satellites that will observe many facets of our changing Earth.

Suomi NPP is carrying five instruments on board. The biggest and most important instrument is VIIRS.