![]() ![]() A single, one-pixel snapshot of the planet would provide very little information about the surface. The new study averages each image into a single brightness value, or the equivalent of one "single-pixel" image for each wavelength. So, each time EPIC "takes a picture" of Earth, it actually captures 10 images. ![]() The EPIC instrument captures reflected light from Earth in 10 different wavelengths, or colors. EPIC has been observing Earth continuously since June 2015, producing nuanced maps of the planet's surface in multiple wavelengths, and contributing to studies of climate and weather. DSCOVR goes around the Sun at Lagrange point 1, a specific orbit that provides EPIC with a constant view of our home planet's sunlit surface. The new study uses data from NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) instrument, which is onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, satellite. A new study uses Earth as a stand-in for an exoplanet, and shows that even with very little light - as little as one pixel - it is still possible to measure key characteristics of distant worlds. ![]() But, these distant worlds are extremely faint and difficult to image directly. The study of exoplanets - planets that lie outside our solar system - could help scientists answer big questions about our place in the universe, and whether life exists beyond Earth. ![]()
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