Animation Celebration of Terra Data!
For a quarter of a century, NASA’s Terra satellite has been circling our planet every day, collecting a truly astonishing archive of environmental data. Launched in December 1999, Terra’s five scientific instruments have watched Earth’s land, atmosphere, and energy balances evolve—capturing over 9,000 days of changes.
On Terra’s 25th anniversary, NASA is inviting you to use this data to create animated stories that reveal the science behind our changing world.
What Is Terra and Why Does It Matter?
Terra is NASA’s oldest daily Earth-observing satellite. Unlike satellites that just take pretty pictures, Terra offers a layered look at Earth’s systems—tracking everything from wildfires and urban growth to pollution and energy flows. This makes it a powerful tool for understanding how humans and nature shape the environment.
Meet Terra’s Five Instruments
Let’s look closer at each instrument and the type of data it provides:
- MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer):
- What it does: MODIS scans the entire globe every 1-2 days at moderate resolution (250 m to 1 km).
- Data highlights: Land cover changes, vegetation health, snow cover, sea surface temperature, wildfire mapping.
- Famous for: Producing “Blue Marble” imagery—a true-colour snapshot of Earth.
- CERES (Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System):
- What it does: CERES measures how much sunlight is reflected by Earth and how much heat is emitted back into space.
- Data highlights: Tracks Earth’s energy budget—essential for understanding climate change, cloud impacts, and global warming.
- Practical use: Helps scientists model weather patterns and predict long-term climate changes.
- MOPITT (Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere):
- What it does: MOPITT detects carbon monoxide (CO) in the lower atmosphere.
- Data highlights: Maps pollution from wildfires, urban areas, and traffic; tracks long-range transport of pollutants.
- Why important: Carbon monoxide is a key tracer for air quality and fire emissions.
- MISR (Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer):
- What it does: MISR takes nine simultaneous images at different angles.
- Data highlights: Reveals the height and structure of clouds; tracks dust storms, smoke plumes, and urban expansion.
- Unique viewpoint: Offers 3D-like views of atmospheric phenomena and surface features.
- ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer):
- What it does: ASTER provides high-resolution images (up to 15 m/pixel) of selected locations.
- Data highlights: Maps volcanoes, glaciers, mountains, urban areas; monitors land surface temperature and mineral resources.
- Zoomed focus: Ideal for tracking landscape changes like deforestation or infrastructure growth.
Why Is This Data Special?
Terra’s instruments often operate simultaneously, which means they can be combined to give richer views of Earth processes. For example, you could compare MODIS wildfire imagery with MOPITT pollution maps to see how fires impact air quality in real time. Or you could use ASTER to zoom in on a city while MISR shows how its growth affects surrounding air and clouds.
Scientists, governments, and communities use this data for countless applications:
- Tracking climate change and greenhouse gases
- Monitoring disasters (fires, hurricanes, floods)
- Studying crop health and food security
- Planning sustainable urban development
- Improving weather forecasts
The Challenge: Animate Your Earth Science Story
NASA wants you to use Terra’s data to create an animated visualisation that tells a story about Earth science—especially one that shows impacts on people, communities, or the environment. This could be a movie, a looping GIF, or even an interactive 3D map. What matters most is movement over time or through different data layers.
Example Animation Ideas
- Wildfires & Air Quality: Animate MODIS fire detections alongside MOPITT carbon monoxide plumes to show how wildfire smoke travels across regions and affects air quality.
- Urban Growth: Use ASTER’s high-res images to map city expansion over years; overlay MISR data to see changes in local atmospheric conditions.
- Glacial Retreat: Create a time-lapse with MODIS or ASTER images showing shrinking glaciers; highlight impacts on freshwater supply for nearby communities.
- Clouds & Climate: Animate CERES measurements of reflected sunlight and emitted heat before and after major storms to illustrate changes in energy balance.
If you want to go further, try mixing multiple datasets in side-by-side comparisons or layering them in one animation for a multi-dimensional story.
How Does It Affect Us?
Animated science isn’t just for fun—it helps everyone see patterns and trends that static images often miss. When you bring together data from Terra’s five instruments, you can reveal:
- How local pollution events drift across cities and states
- How climate change is altering landscapes close to home
- How urbanisation is reshaping air quality, temperatures, and even rainfall
These insights can guide better decisions on health, sustainability, and disaster response.
Ready to Start?
All Terra data is open and free to use. NASA’s Earthdata Worldview tool makes it easy to browse imagery and create animations without advanced coding skills. You can download data from instrument-specific portals such as MODIS or ASTER.
Choose a topic that matters to you—whether it’s urban growth near your hometown, wildfires affecting your region, or climate trends you want people to see. Use animation to tell your story clearly, then share your findings with commentary about why these changes matter to your community or the wider world.
Useful Resources:
