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NASA, Japan produce topographic Earth map

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NASA's Terra satellite when it captured this unique view of the earth during a total solar eclipse on August 1, 2008. In the area shown in the image, the sun was completely obscured for about two minutes. As Earth rotated, the shadow moved southeast across the surface. At the same time, the satellite crossed the Arctic with its path nearly perpendicular to the eclipse. 
Published: June 30, 2009 at 12:04 PM
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PASADENA, Calif., June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. and Japanese space agencies have produced a digital topographic map of Earth that covers more of our planet than ever.

The map was created from nearly 1.3 million individual stereo-pair images collected by the Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer that's aboard NASA's Terra satellite.

"This is the most complete, consistent global digital elevation data yet made available to the world," said Woody Turner, NASA program scientist. Mike Abrams, the project's science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the map will be of value throughout the Earth sciences.

"ASTER's accurate topographic data will be used for engineering, energy exploration, conserving natural resources, environmental management, public works design, firefighting, recreation, geology and city planning, to name just a few areas," Abrams said.

Visualizations of the new map are available at http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/20090629.html.

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