Hurricane Isaac by Night

NASA image acquired August 29, 2012 1:57 a.m EDT

Annotated view here: bit.ly/RsFT9Y

Hurricane Isaac lit up by moonlight as it spins over the city of New Orleans, La. at 1:57 am central daylight savings time the morning of August 29, 2012. The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite captured these images with its Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The "day-night band" of VIIRS detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses light intensification to enable the detection of dim signals.

Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense.

Image Credit: NASA/NOAA, Earth Observatory

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day Night Band data.

Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

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