Fires were scattered across Australia’s northern most point in late July, 2015.
Fires were scattered across Australia’s northernmost point in late July, 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on July 13, 2015 as it passed over the region.
Each red hotspot marks an area where the thermal detectors on the instrument noticed areas hotter than the background. When accompanied by smoke, which are seen as the grey streams moving northwest, such hotspots are diagnostic for actively burning fire. The fires are scattered throughout Australia’s Northern Territory, including an area on Tiwi Islands.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner