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• Credit

  Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

A number of fires dot Australia’s Northern Territory in this true-color image acquired by the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on August 26, 2002. A number of the fires feature smoke plumes large enough to be seen by the MODIS instrument, which orbits 705 km above the surface of the planet. The fires, outlined in red, are endemic to the dry season, which lasts from May to October. As the temperatures rise and the air dries, more fires occur. But from November to April, the wet season reigns and makes fires much less prevalent.

The fires are not contained to the mainland . They also occur on Melville Island (top center). South of the Island, on the small, west-facing peninsula, sits the city of Darwin. Darwin is home to just over 70,000 Australians, and is known for barramundi fishing, crocodile sightseeing, and, of course, beaches.

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