Cloud Fraction

In some parts of the world the difference in the amount of clouds over land versus ocean is so stark that the outlines of continents and other landmasses can be traced through observations of clouds alone. This image of October 2009’s cloud fraction (the fraction of an area covered by clouds) demonstrates the pattern. The measurements were collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Colors range from blue (no clouds) to white (totally cloudy). -- Earth Observatory

Solar Eclipses Viewed From Space

Earth Observatory - Eclipse Shadows Southeastern China July 23, 2009: "The Moon's shadow engulfed Taiwan and a large swath of southeastern China and the Pacific Ocean on the morning of July 22, 2009, during an unusually long total eclipse of the Sun. ..."

This image was produced from data from EUMETSAT's Meteosat-7 satellite which is located over the Indian Ocean, received over EUMETCast by my MSG Data Manager, with the false-colour combination produced by my GeoSatSignal-7 software combining both visible-channel and thermal-channel data from the satellite. Credit: GeoSatSignal

Earth Observatory - Total Solar Eclipse of March 29, 2006: "The International Space Station (ISS) was in position to view the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the Moon as it moved between the Sun and the Earth during the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. This astronaut image captures the umbral shadow across southern Turkey, northern Cyprus, and the Mediterranean Sea..."

The lunar umbra on the Indian Ocean taken from the International Space Station.

NASA/GSFC/Aqua/Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team: Total solar eclipse over Antarctica...



ISS012-E-21343 (29 Mar. 2006) --- The shadow of the moon falls on Earth as seen from the International Space Station, 230 miles above the planet, during a total solar eclipse at about 4:50 a.m. CST Wednesday, March 29. This digital photo was taken by the Expedition 12 crew, Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev, who are wrapping up a six-month mission on the complex. Visible near the shadow are portions of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Turkey.

APOD - August 30, 1999: "Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moves across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour. Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station, as Mir is being decommissioned after more than ten years of productive use."

Map of total solar eclipse paths 2001-2025. Credit: Michæl Paukner

 Hat tip: astropixie.

A View of Earth from Saturn

This composite image taken by Cassini entitled "In Saturn's Shadow" showing Earth passing behind Saturn's outermost rings is among the finalists in NASA’s Earth Observatory's Favorite Image of the Day anniversary poll, and is my favorite. You have until the April 27th to vote.Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Courtesy: CICLOPS

Tonga Islands Submarine Volcanic Eruption

Boston.com's The Big Picture blog (LPB's inspiration) has posted 12 big images of the undersea eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano.A submarine volcanic eruption occurred in the Tonga Islands of the South Pacific in mid-March 2009. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of volcanic activity on March 18, 2009...NASA Earth Observatory