When a Book Illustrates the Beauty of Earth
An array of images of our home planet, taken by Earth-observing science satellites, are featured in a new NASA publication. The book, “Earth as Art,” is available in hardcover, electronically, and as a free iPad application.
The 158-page book celebrates the aesthetic beauty of Earth in the patterns, shapes, colors and textures of the land, oceans, ice and atmosphere. Images include snow-capped mountain peaks in the Himalayas, Arizona’s Painted Desert, the Mississippi River Delta spreading into the Gulf of Mexico, a Saharan dune sea in Algeria, and Byrd Glacier in Antarctica.
“Earth as Art” features images from the Landsat 5 and 7, Terra, Aqua, and Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellites. All are among a fleet of U.S. environmental satellites used for scientific research and applied purposes.
[ Also Read: Do You Have Any Idea to Help NASA Improve its Site? ]Instruments on these satellites measure light outside of the visible range. The images produced from these data reveal features and patterns not always visible to the naked eye. The Terra, Aqua, and EO-1 satellites are managed by NASA. Landsat satellites are managed by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The iPad version of “Earth as Art” allows users to zoom into the book’s 75 satellite images and access additional information on selected features and the satellites used. The app can be downloaded by visiting: http://www.nasa.gov/apps
“Earth as Art” is available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing Office online at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov
A free ebook version of “Earth as Art” in PDF format may be downloaded by visiting: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/earth_art_detail.html
Photo courtesy: NASA
