Images
May 15, 2026 - Fires in Northern Territory, Australia
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Multiple fires sent smoke streaming across the skies over Australia’s Northern Territory in mid-May 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the smoky scene on May 13.
The image centers on far north-western Northern Territory. For orientation, the city of Darwin is located near the upper edge of the image while a touch of northeastern Western Australia can be seen in the lower left corner. Red “hot spots” have been placed where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, they mark actively burning fires.
The grass-laden landscape of Northern Australia favors fire, and recurrent small fires also aid in maintaining the landscape. In the wet season, tropical rains support the growth of thick grasses, but the lush growth quickly turn to tinder in the heat of the dry season. May is traditionally a shoulder season—the wet season begins sometime between late April and early May, yet temperatures usually remain cool enough through May so that grasses aren’t dangerously dry.
While it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire solely based on satellite imagery, it’s very likely that this image captures a mixture of both wildfires and prescribed burns (fires deliberately set and controlled to manage farmland or wildland). As of May 14, the NT Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page carries multiple Prescribed Burn Advice notices, each describing prescribed burns ongoing or planned in this area. At the same time, the NT Fire Incident Map published by the Northern Territory Government shows at least eight fires labeled either “Bushfire” or “Grass and Scrub Fire” as well as a few labeled “Prescribed Burn”.
Normally prescribed burns are held when grasses are just beginning to dry, humidity is high, temperatures are mild, and winds are still—weather that is not favorable for wildfires—to avoid the risk of a fire escaping control. The mixture of both wildfire and prescribed burns in an area is unusual. This may suggest that grasslands have dried more quickly than expected while the pressure to manage vegetation on the land remains high. Prescribed burning is often needed in order to encourage fresh growth on pasture or grasslands, to control weeds, and to take down overgrowth that increases risk of a massive, out of control, or destructive fire should a wildfire ignite on that site.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/13/2026
Resolutions:
1km (48.8 KB), 500m (156.9 KB), 250m (449.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Multiple fires sent smoke streaming across the skies over Australia’s Northern Territory in mid-May 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the smoky scene on May 13.
The image centers on far north-western Northern Territory. For orientation, the city of Darwin is located near the upper edge of the image while a touch of northeastern Western Australia can be seen in the lower left corner. Red “hot spots” have been placed where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, they mark actively burning fires.
The grass-laden landscape of Northern Australia favors fire, and recurrent small fires also aid in maintaining the landscape. In the wet season, tropical rains support the growth of thick grasses, but the lush growth quickly turn to tinder in the heat of the dry season. May is traditionally a shoulder season—the wet season begins sometime between late April and early May, yet temperatures usually remain cool enough through May so that grasses aren’t dangerously dry.
While it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire solely based on satellite imagery, it’s very likely that this image captures a mixture of both wildfires and prescribed burns (fires deliberately set and controlled to manage farmland or wildland). As of May 14, the NT Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page carries multiple Prescribed Burn Advice notices, each describing prescribed burns ongoing or planned in this area. At the same time, the NT Fire Incident Map published by the Northern Territory Government shows at least eight fires labeled either “Bushfire” or “Grass and Scrub Fire” as well as a few labeled “Prescribed Burn”.
Normally prescribed burns are held when grasses are just beginning to dry, humidity is high, temperatures are mild, and winds are still—weather that is not favorable for wildfires—to avoid the risk of a fire escaping control. The mixture of both wildfire and prescribed burns in an area is unusual. This may suggest that grasslands have dried more quickly than expected while the pressure to manage vegetation on the land remains high. Prescribed burning is often needed in order to encourage fresh growth on pasture or grasslands, to control weeds, and to take down overgrowth that increases risk of a massive, out of control, or destructive fire should a wildfire ignite on that site.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/13/2026
Resolutions:
1km (48.8 KB), 500m (156.9 KB), 250m (449.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
