Images
August 16, 2021 - Sahara Desert in Libya
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Two of Libya’s stunning orange-tinted sand seas were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite on August 12, 2021. Libya, roughly 2.5 times the size of the state of Texas, enjoys a comfortable climate along the Mediterranean Sea. But the interior of the country-about 90 percent of the landmass-is made up of the extremely dry Saharan Plateau, which is heavily covered in rock, pebbles, and sand.
The sweeping curves of Awbari (also known as Erg Ubari) sits near the center of the image. Erg Murzuq (sometimes called Murzuk) sits further south. The dark coloration between them marks a rugged outcrop of sandstone. While the textures and colors of this hyper-arid region are easily appreciated at low resolution, viewing the scene at the 250m shows numerous parallel ripples in the orange sand that mark a variety of large, spectacular sand dunes. The western section of the Erg Murzuq is especially famous for its sand dunes, some of which are ancient.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/12/2021
Resolutions:
1km (224.7 KB), 500m (601.2 KB), 250m (274.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Two of Libya’s stunning orange-tinted sand seas were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite on August 12, 2021. Libya, roughly 2.5 times the size of the state of Texas, enjoys a comfortable climate along the Mediterranean Sea. But the interior of the country-about 90 percent of the landmass-is made up of the extremely dry Saharan Plateau, which is heavily covered in rock, pebbles, and sand.
The sweeping curves of Awbari (also known as Erg Ubari) sits near the center of the image. Erg Murzuq (sometimes called Murzuk) sits further south. The dark coloration between them marks a rugged outcrop of sandstone. While the textures and colors of this hyper-arid region are easily appreciated at low resolution, viewing the scene at the 250m shows numerous parallel ripples in the orange sand that mark a variety of large, spectacular sand dunes. The western section of the Erg Murzuq is especially famous for its sand dunes, some of which are ancient.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/12/2021
Resolutions:
1km (224.7 KB), 500m (601.2 KB), 250m (274.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
