The front panel of the image cube shows a true-color view of northwestern Nevada observed with the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Imaging Spectrometer (EMIT). The side panel shows the spectral fingerprint of each point in the image, showing an area about 130 miles (209 km) northeast of Lake Tahoe.
The instrument works by measuring the solar energy reflected from the Earth, ranging from hundreds of wavelengths in the visible to the infrared spectral range. The intensity of the reflected light depends on the wavelength of the material. Scientists use these patterns, called spectral fingerprints, to identify surface minerals and place them on a map.
The cube was one of the first created by the EMIT scientists, as they confirmed that the instrument collected data exactly before scientific operations began. Analysis of regularities showed that kaolinite is a light-colored clay mineral. When dust from kaolinite-dominated regions is released into the atmosphere, the particles tend to scatter sunlight and reflect it back into space, cooling the air.
During its 12-month mission, EMIT will measure 10 important surface minerals – kaolinite, hematite, goethite, illite, vermiculite, calcite, dolomite, montmorillonite, chlorite and gypsum. Northern latitudes of Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia. The data collected by EMIT will help scientists better understand the role of airborne dust particles in heating and cooling the Earth’s atmosphere on a global and regional scale.
Since installing EMIT on the International Space Station in late July 2022, the science team has been verifying its data with data collected by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) in 2018. EMIT and AVIRIS were developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.
Post time: Oct-13-2022