Images
September 4, 2026 - Gobi Desert
Tweet
The massive Gobi Desert sprawls across southern Mongolia and northwestern China, surrounded by the Altai and Khangai mountains and the Himalayan Plateau. The area lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, creating conditions where, at its most extreme, annual precipitation averages less than 40 millimeters (1.6 in). A few areas, tucked near the Altai Mountains, may receive more than 200 millimeters (7.9 in).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this beautiful true-color image of the Gobi Desert on September 1, 2026.
Ripples seen in the southern section of the desert are actually massive sand dunes. Known as the Khongoryn Els, they tower between 600 to 980 feet (200 to 300 meters) tall. The very tallest has been said to rise to 1,500 feet (460 meters), or about the same height as the 102 story Empire State Building of New York. The mega-dunes create micro-environments in some areas where water is abundant enough to create small oases.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/1/2026
Resolutions:
1km (439 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The massive Gobi Desert sprawls across southern Mongolia and northwestern China, surrounded by the Altai and Khangai mountains and the Himalayan Plateau. The area lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, creating conditions where, at its most extreme, annual precipitation averages less than 40 millimeters (1.6 in). A few areas, tucked near the Altai Mountains, may receive more than 200 millimeters (7.9 in).
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this beautiful true-color image of the Gobi Desert on September 1, 2026.
Ripples seen in the southern section of the desert are actually massive sand dunes. Known as the Khongoryn Els, they tower between 600 to 980 feet (200 to 300 meters) tall. The very tallest has been said to rise to 1,500 feet (460 meters), or about the same height as the 102 story Empire State Building of New York. The mega-dunes create micro-environments in some areas where water is abundant enough to create small oases.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/1/2026
Resolutions:
1km (439 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
