(Originally published at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4945)

This visualization shows active fires as observed by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, between January 1 and September 24 2021. The VIIRS instrument flies on the Joint Polar Satellite System’s SuomiNPP and NOAA20 polarorbiting satellites. Instruments on polar orbiting satellites typically observe a wildfire at a given location a few times a day as they orbit the Earth from pole to pole. VIIRS detects hot spots at a resolution of 375 meters per pixel, which means it can detect smaller, lower temperature fires than other fireobserving satellites. Its observations are about three times more detailed than those from the MODIS instrument, for example. VIIRS also provides nighttime fire detection capabilities through its DayNight Band, which can measure lowintensity visible light emitted by small and fledgling fires. This visualization uses data from the SuomiNPP VIIRS instrument, and will be updated periodically until the end of 2021.

Visualization Credits

Trent L. Schindler (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Doug C. Morton (NASA/GSFC): Lead Scientist