What's with the doughnut hole on MODIS?

[XemaSab]

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?mosaic=Arctic.2011034.terra.4km

Why is the center of the pack not showing?

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Too dark?

They say:

The MODIS Rapid Response System generates complete mosaic images of the Arctic every day from March 18, 2009, to the present. Images are available throughout boreal late spring, summer, and early fall as long as enough visible light is present to generate an image of the region. Since lighting is poor in boreal late fall, winter, and early spring, images will not be generated during that period.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?project=arctic

In mid-winter, and high latitudes, they may not get a photo in daylight.

[XemaSab]

7. Good call

That answers the question.

/arctic nerd who forgot about it being dark

[TheWraith]

9. Or it might be an effect of the angle the satellite orbits at.

Many satellite orbits don't take them directly over the poles.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. However, these 2 satellites do go very near the poles:

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flies onboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites as part of the NASA-centered international Earth Observing System. Both satellites orbit the Earth from pole to pole, seeing most of the globe every day. Onboard Terra, MODIS sees the Earth during the morning, while Aqua MODIS orbits the Earth in the afternoon.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/

The orbit goes up to about 82 degrees latitude (which is enough to see to the poles):


They have a sun-synchronous orbit, and they are currently able to get complete Antarctic coverage:

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?mosaic=Antarctica.2011037.terra.4km

[Nihil]

2. Phased implementation: hole today, jam tomorrow!

:hide:

[MineralMan]

3. It's so you can't see the secret UFO base there.

It's Top Secret FUBAR, you know. As for myself, I welcome our new intergalactic overlords.

[txlibdem]

4. "I wouldn't mind some of that arcturian poon-tang right now..."

From the movie Aliens...

"In the movie Aliens, at the USMC breakfast table aboard the USS Sulaco,
when Frost starts talking about some prostitute he had enjoyed at some shoreleave
(making Ripley roll her eyes), he said "I wouldn't mind some of that arcturian poon-tang right now...".

...snip...

And then someone says "The one you got was male!" and Frost replies "It doesn't matter, as long as it's Arcturian, baby."

http://flare.solareclipse.net/cgi2/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000427;p=0

IMDB has that quote a little differently:

"Frost: Hey, I sure wouldn't mind getting some more of that Arcturian poontang! Remember that time?
Spunkmeyer: Yeah, Frost, but the one that you had was a male!
Frost: It doesn't matter when it's Arcturian, baby!"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/quotes

Either way, it doesn't matter when it's Arcturian, baby!

[MineralMan]

5. Nice catch!

[txlibdem]

6. I must have watched that movie at least 10 times

One of my favorites.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Pseudoscience! Bunkaroonie! Woo-woo!

EVERYBODY knows it's to hide the hole leading into the Inner Earth. Also, the Central Sun is probably way too bright to directly train the sensitive MODIS optics on it.

This is the age of SCIENCE! SCIENCE, I tell you!

--d!