NASA Updated a 3D Real time Tool

NASA has updated a 3D real-time tool that lets you track Earth-observing satellites such as the recently launched Landsat 9, as well as the ISS and Aqua. Eyes on the Earth is created by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and shows Earth-observing satellites in real-time, as well as the data they are collecting.

The updated tool reveals everything from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere to current global sea levels and moisture in the soil.  This information comes from a fleet of dozens of satellites, each specializing in different aspects of the Earth’s climate and environment.

‘Eyes on the Earth’ offers an engaging, interactive resource to learn more about environmental phenomena and their impacts. NASA has more than two dozen missions studying Earth science, and each of these is represented on the real time virtual globe.One of the things it can be used for is to measure different greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, at any particular part of the globe. This is useful when looking to see if there are higher pollution concentrations than expected over a city.

It could also be used to determine ocean surface levels at different locations, as well as how those levels have been changing over time. The newest version of Eyes on the Earth also provides snapshots of significant events in the natural world, according to the space agency. This includes the maximum wind speeds of a tropical storm, the impacts of a northern California fire, and even see the scale of a phytoplankton bloom off of New Zealand and why it matters.