Earth From Space: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum - Hardcover

Johnston, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552978206 ISBN 13: 9781552978207

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2004

Synopsis

Three hundred spectacular views of Earth taken by the latest generation of satellites.

For orbiting satellites, no place on Earth is isolated. The Himalayas are as easy to photograph as Manhattan. While satellite images are important for science and technical needs, they can also be appreciated for their astonishing beauty.

Earth From Space shows how satellite imaging -- also called remote sensing -- works and showcases some of the most extraordinary photographs ever published.

In the mid-1990s a new generation of satellites began to orbit the Earth. More powerful and accurate than ever, they can record the effects of human and natural forces, and how the planet is changing through time can be clearly seen.

The book also dispels popular misconceptions like those used in Hollywood movies for dramatic effect such as exaggerated surveillance capabilities of orbiting satellites. However, what the satellites do see is nothing short of spectacular.

Earth From Space presents stunning color photographs of:

• Coastal ports and major world cities
• Military installations such as the Russian Pacific submarine fleet
• Rebuilding lower Manhattan and the Pentagon after 9/11
• Landscapes of wars including Iraq and Iran
• Rain forests, wetlands, coral reefs, rivers and mountains
• Effects of deforestation and desertification

Earth From Space covers subjects ranging from aeronautics to history to ecology with unforgettable illustrations - an expansive big picture view of the world.

About this title

From the Author

Earth From Space contains views of our planet as seen by a new generation of satellites in orbit above the Earth. Our planet is shown as never before, with images of stunning beauty from recently orbited sensors. Spectacular features on the Earth's surface emerge in sweeping panoramas. Earth From Space offers a new appreciation of the beauty our planet as seen from space. All the images in this book were taken from satellites and astronauts in orbit above the Earth.

Earth From Space is organized into chapters of various themes containing images that show the wide diversity of features and landforms on our planet. Huge expanses of forests cover much of the Earth's surface. Weather systems swirl in the atmosphere. Erupting volcanoes are shown in all their fury. Glaciers flow from mountaintops to valleys. Humans grow crops and gather in huge stadiums. Skyscrapers reach for the sky in urban centers. Lakes dry up and rivers flood.

Our view of Earth has been revolutionized by several new types of orbiting sensors. Some of these provide highly detailed imagery, making it possible to discern things as small as automobiles. Other sensors take in the whole planet, allowing scientists to track global scale environmental changes. These satellites have enabled us, for the first time, to see the Earth as a whole planet or zoom in to individual neighborhoods. Earth From Space is the first book published incorporating the full range of these new types of images.

This is an exciting time to be studying the Earth from space, and Earth From Space captures that excitement by showing the impressive variety of satellite images that have become available in recent years. Included are examples of how scientists use satellite images, the changing way we look at our planet, and how these new technologies are having an impact on the lives of people all over the world. The many applications of satellite imagery are explained and maps show the location of the images.

About the Author

Andrew K. Johnston is a geographer at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1552978206
• ISBN 13: 9781552978207
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272