NASA: Watch One Year on Earth From 1 Million Miles Away

Home

Ever wondered what a year on Earth looks like from outer space? Well, thanks to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), you don’t have to wonder anymore.

EPIC’s photo of Earth at 10:39 on July 16 as the DSCOVR satellite was over Sudan.Photo credit: DSCOVR:EPIC

NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) onboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) snaps about one set of images—each image capturing a different set of wavelengths—of the sunlit side of Earth every two hours. More than 3,000 images shows what a year on our planet looks like. Every image captured by EPIC can be viewed on the camera’s Twitter page.

EPIC views the sunrise and sunset at least 13 times a day from its place approximately 1 million miles away.

The images captured by the camera aren’t just for fun. The images help scientists study changes in Earth’s ozone, vegetation and clouds, Jay Herman, EPIC lead scientist, said.

“The hourly images of the entire sunlit side of Earth, provided by EPIC, will be used to study the daily variations of features over the entire globe, helping us to better understand—and protect—our home planet,” Herman said.

DSCOVR was launched in February 2015 and sent back its first image of Earth in July 2015. EPIC has also captured phenomenons such as the moon “photobombing” Earth during its time in outer space. The satellite mission is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

Watch the time lapse created by EPIC’s photos below:

EcoWatch Daily Newsletter