Bushfires in southeastern Australia turned deadly over the first weekend of February 2009. Out-of-control fires raced into small communities and towns in Victoria, and more than 100 people had died as of February 9.
Among the most devastated communities were those in the Kinglake area and Marysville. As of February 9, firefighters were expressing concern about the increased activity of the fire around the town of Dederang, southwest of Lake Hume.
This image shows the Barry Mountains of central Victoria on February 9, 2009. The image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis) on Nasa’s Aqua satellite,is shown in false color, using visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared light.
Places where the sensor detected active fire are outlined in red. Burned areas are brick red, and places of intense heat – often a sign of open flame in this kind of image – are glowing pink. Smoke turns a transparent blue, which makes it easier to see the ground.
Modis is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by Nasa in 1999 on board the Terra satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua satellite. The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions. Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth’s cloud cover, radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere.
For more information, please visit http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov
