The Big Picture: NASA posts DSCOVR's epic first image of Earth
What does Earth look like from a million miles away? Well, NASA provided the masses with a glimpse today, thanks to the first photo snapped from the Deep Space Climate Observatory Satellite (DSCOVR) launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 in February. More specifically, the image is constructed from three separate photos taken with NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC). The camera captures a series of ten images ranging from ultraviolet to near infrared narrowband filters. For the visual you see above, the red, blue and green channels were used to create the view. What's more, once the instrument is to put a regular work schedule, it'll send new images to Earth every day -- 12 to 36 hours after they're taken. And yes, you'll be able to see them as NASA is planning a dedicated web page to house them all in September.
"As a former astronaut who's been privileged to view the Earth from orbit, I want everyone to be able to see and appreciate our planet as an integrated, interacting system," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. "DSCOVR's observations of Earth, as well as its measurements and early warnings of space weather events caused by the sun, will help every person to monitor the ever-changing Earth, and to understand how our planet fits into its neighborhood in the solar system."
