Aerosols swirling around the Earth

Aerosols swirling around the Earth Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory shows the invisible particles and liquid droplets, known as aerosols, that surround us in the air that we breathe.

Aerosols can be seen by many of NASA’s satellites in a way that they cannot be viewed from the Earth.

On August 23, 2018, sea salt aerosols were being kicked up by tropical cyclones in the Pacific, particles from dust storms were drifting across Africa and Asia, and wildfire plumes were lingering over North America and Africa. Aerosols swirling around the Earth shown in image.

This visualization, which indirectly represents a collection of both satellite data and ground measurements, was developed by the Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS FP) model.Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. According to radiometric dating and other evidence, Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Earth’s gravity interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon, which is Earth’s only natural satellite. Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.256 days, a period known as an Earth sidereal year. During this time, Earth rotates about its axis about 366.256 times.
Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted with respect to its orbital plane, producing seasons on Earth. The gravitational interaction between Earth and the Moon causes tides, stabilizes Earth’s orientation on its axis, and gradually slows its rotation. Earth is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest and most massive of the four rocky planets. 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory