October 20, 2007 - Bushfires in Northern Territory, Australia

Bushfires in Northern Territory, Australia

Huge fires scorched grassland and savanna in the Barkly Tableland region of Australia’s Northern Territory in October 2007. This image, captured October 18, 2007 by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite, shows burn scars (brick red) sprawled across the landscape. This image is false-color - the burn scars stand out of the landscape more readily and makes them easier to see. Clouds appear to be blue!

Places where MODIS detected active fire are outlined in red. The bright pink glow inside some of these outlines is often an indication of open flame. Both natural and human-set fires (for pasture maintenance and brush clearing) are common in Northern Territory.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/18/2007
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC