A one-full-day observation image of the Earth by the AMSR2 aboard the SHIZUKU from 9:00 a.m. on July 3 (JST) to July 4. In this image, whitish-yellow color parts indicate areas with heavy rain or sea ice, light blue color is areas with little water vapor in the atmosphere or thin clouds, dark blue color is areas with more water vapors in the atmosphere or thicker clouds, and black color is areas that was not observed. © JAXA
The SHIZUKU was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center at 1:39 a.m. on May 18, 2012 (Japan Standard Time) and entered into the A-train orbit on June 29, then has started regular observations since July 3, after increasing the antenna rotation of the onboard Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) to 40 rpm.
The resulting images, including a one-full-day observation image of the Earth, a close-up view around Japan and the entire area of the Arctic Ocean, can be seen on our sister website Asia Research News which also describes in more detail the implications of the SHIZUKU images. http://asiaresearchnews.com/stunning-images-of-earth-from-shizuku-satellite (direct link below).
The full press release with more information on JAXA and the SHIZUKU can be accessed using the link below.
This image shows the distribution of sea ice in the Artic. White indicates areas covered by ocean ice, blue is sea areas, gray is lands, and black areas were not observed. © JAXA
The SHIZUKU flew over Japan around 1:00 p.m. on July 3 (JST). At that time, rain front (Bai-u front) remained over Japan, and this image shows a close-up view of Japan with whitish-yellow color parts, which indicate areas with heavy rain, over wide areas of the eastern part of Shikoku Island, and Kinki and Tokai regions. © JAXA
