Frequently Asked Questions about the Landsat Missions

Question:
What are the band designations for the Landsat satellites?

Answer:

Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images consist of four spectral bands with 80 meter spatial resolution. Approximate scene size is 170 km north-south by 185 km east-west (106 mi by 115 mi). Specific band designations differ from Landsat 1-3 to Landsat 4-5.

Landsat 1-3	Landsat 4-5	Wavelength (micrometers)	Resolution (meters)
Band 4	Band 1	0.5-0.6	60
Band 5	Band 2	0.6-0.7	60
Band 6	Band 3	0.7-0.8	60
Band 7	Band 4	0.8-1.1	60

* Original MSS pixel size was 79 x 57 meters; production systems now resample the data to 60 meters.

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images consist of seven spectral bands with a spatial resolution of 30 meters for Bands 1 to 5 and 7. Spatial resolution for Band 6 (thermal infrared) is 120 meters, but is resampled to 30-meter pixels. Approximate scene size is 170 km north-south by 183 km east-west (106 mi by 114 mi).

Landsat 4-5	Wavelength (micrometers)	Resolution (meters)
Band 1	0.45-0.52	30
Band 2	0.52-0.60	30
Band 3	0.63-0.69	30
Band 4	0.76-0.90	30
Band 5	1.55-1.75	30
Band 6	10.40-12.50	120* (30)
Band 7	2.08-2.35	30

* TM Band 6 was acquired at 120-meter resolution, but products processed before February 25, 2010 are resampled to 60-meter pixels. Products processed after February 25, 2010 are resampled to 30-meter pixels.

Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images consist of eight spectral bands with a spatial resolution of 30 meters for Bands 1 to 7. The resolution for Band 8 (panchromatic) is 15 meters. All bands can collect one of two gain settings (high or low) for increased radiometric sensitivity and dynamic range, while Band 6 collects both high and low gain for all scenes. Approximate scene size is 170 km north-south by 183 km east-west (106 mi by 114 mi).

Landsat 7	Wavelength (micrometers)	Resolution (meters)
Band 1	0.45-0.52	30
Band 2	0.52-0.60	30
Band 3	0.63-0.69	30
Band 4	0.77-0.90	30
Band 5	1.55-1.75	30
Band 6	10.40-12.50	60 * (30)
Band 7	2.09-2.35	30
Band 8	.52-.90	15

* ETM+ Band 6 is acquired at 60-meter resolution. Products processed after February 25, 2010 are resampled to 30-meter pixels.

Data collected for the LDCM Mission by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument will advance future measurement capabilities, with an "ultra-blue" band (Band 1) for coastal and aerosol studies, as well as Band 9, which will be useful for cirrus cloud detection. Two thermal bands provide more accurate surface temperatures.

Bands	Wavelength (micrometers)	Resolution (meters)
Band 1 - Coastal aerosol	0.43 - 0.45	30
Band 2 - Blue	0.45 - 0.51	30
Band 3 - Green	0.53 - 0.59	30
Band 4 - Red	0.64 - 0.67	30
Band 5 - Near Infrared (NIR)	0.85 - 0.88	30
Band 6 - SWIR 1	1.57 - 1.65	30
Band 7 - SWIR 2	2.11 - 2.29	30
Band 8 - Panchromatic	0.50 - 0.68	15
Band 9 - Cirrus	1.36 - 1.38	30
Band 10 - Thermal Infrared (TIRS) 1	10.60 - 11.19	100
Band 11 - Thermal Infrared (TIRS) 2	11.50 - 12.51	100

* TIRS bands are acquired at 100 meter resolution, but are resampled to 30 meter in delivered data product.

The Spectral Characteristics Viewer helps visualize the different satellite bands of Landsat and other sensors, along with selected spectra and convolving capabilities.