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EarthNow! allows users to see recent data acquired by the Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 satellites in near-real time. When no active acquisitions are being made, the most recent pass is replayed. The screen is divided between the main display and the sidebar controls.

Main Display

The image feed appears on the left hand side of the screen. Each pass has a swath width between 185 and 190 kilometers (115-118.1 miles). The edges of the feed appear jagged because of the way the Landsat sensors collect image data. As the satellite travels above the Earth's surface, the sensor rapidly scans the viewing area from side to side. The imaging detectors are turned off momentarily at the edge of the image. They are turned on at a slightly different point in the return scan than where they were turned off, giving the imagery a jagged edge.

Sidebar Controls

Landsat Tab

The top display on the right sidebar indicates which Landsat mission is being displayed, and indicates whether it is a recorded pass or near-real time live-streaming. This sidebar also features band combination selection feed controls, the satellite location ancillary map, the date and time of acquisition, the path and row numbers, and geographical information specific to the area being displayed.

Band Combination - Three channels can be used for visual display of Landsat's multispectral image data: red, green and blue (RGB). The choice of band combination will put specific sensor bands into these channels to produce an array of colors. For EarthNow!, the band combination options include "True Color" and "Vegetation Analysis".



Video Display Red Green Blue Landsat 7 True Color 3 2 1 Landsat 7 Vegetation Analysis 7 4 2 Landsat 8 True Color 4 3 2 Landsat 8 Vegetation Analysis 7 5 3

- Three channels can be used for visual display of Landsat's multispectral image data: red, green and blue (RGB). The choice of band combination will put specific sensor bands into these channels to produce an array of colors. For EarthNow!, the band combination options include "True Color" and "Vegetation Analysis". Feed Controls - The blue circle icon toggles the names of cities and features on and off. The yellow pause button will temporarily hold the feed at its current location. The red stop button will close out the current feed and restart the feed to the most recent acquisitions.

- The blue circle icon toggles the names of cities and features on and off. The yellow pause button will temporarily hold the feed at its current location. The red stop button will close out the current feed and restart the feed to the most recent acquisitions. Satellite Location Subset Map - This map displays the direction the satellite is taking on a larger scale. An orange box outlines the ground track of the satellite.

- This map displays the direction the satellite is taking on a larger scale. An orange box outlines the ground track of the satellite. Date - The date of acquisition appears in DD MMM YYYY format.

- The date of acquisition appears in format. Time - The time of acquisition appears in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) using military time in hours, minutes, and seconds.

- The time of acquisition appears in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) using military time in hours, minutes, and seconds. Path/Row - The Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 satellites follow the World Reference System 2 (WRS-2).

- The Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 satellites follow the World Reference System 2 (WRS-2). Country - When the satellite passes over a land mass, the country name appears below the date and time next to a picture of the country flag.

- When the satellite passes over a land mass, the country name appears below the date and time next to a picture of the country flag. Coordinates - Displayed next to the country, the coordinates give the degrees and minutes of the location being displayed.

- Displayed next to the country, the coordinates give the degrees and minutes of the location being displayed. Cities & Features - A list of prominent cities and physical features from the current view are shown next to the corresponding icon below the country and coordinates, with population information displayed next to the city. Altitude information is displayed next to the range or mountain. Water Bodies are listed in a blue italicised font with no additional information displayed. Water bodies represented are typically larger inland lakes.

Recordings Tab

The recordings tab displays a list of recorded passes. Clicking on the green "play" triangle interrupts the current pass on the main display and display the recorded pass. After viewing the recorded pass is complete, the most recent feed is again displayed.

Additional Information

Questions about EarthNow! can be directed to:

USGS User Services

47914 252nd Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001

Phone: (605) 594-6967 or 1-800-252-4547

Email: custserv@usgs.gov

Browser Specifications

The highest available browser version is always recommended to efficiently use EarthNow!. While the tool may work in other browsers, not all combinations of operating systems and plug-ins or add-ons have been tested.

The browsers listed below have been tested and are deemed sufficient as of the date noted: January 11, 2017

For Desktop

Mozilla Firefox version 38 or later

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 11 or later

Chrome version 40 or later

Opera version 27 or later

For Mobile