How Do We Know What the Earth Looks Like from Space?

Imagine you're on a really high swing, and every time you go up, you can see more of the playground. That's like how satellites work, they go around Earth and take pictures from way above. These pictures help us know what Earth looks like from space.

How Satellites See

Satellites have cameras that take lots of photos as they zoom around the planet. Sometimes, they even use special kinds of light we can’t see, like infrared or ultraviolet, to show us things like hot spots or glowing plants.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A satellite takes pictures like a toy camera does when you take photos of your room from above.
  2. A special kind of light helps the satellite see heat in forests and cities.
  3. The satellite keeps moving around Earth like a dog chasing its tail, taking new pictures each time.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity

Nothing here yet.