Landsat Missions
Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 acquisitions are limited during the year due to insufficient sunlight in some areas of the Earth. Because of Earth's axial tilt, high latitudes are most affected. In addition, Landsat 5 acquisitions are even more constrained seasonally due to the satellite’s fixed solar array.
These maps show the areas of the Earth that are continually acquired throughout the year, as well as the farthest north and south points where acquisitions may occur. (They do not imply constant acquisitions; just that acquisition is possible in these areas.)
The yellow-shaded section on each map represents the area that may be continually captured throughout the year.
The green line indicates the farthest north that acquisitions may occur.
The blue line shows the farthest south that acquisitions may occur.
Landsat 5 minimum sun angle constraints
17 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere (green line)
41 degrees in the Southern Hemisphere (blue line)
Landsat 7 minimum sun angle constraints
15 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere (green line)
5 degrees in the Southern Hemisphere (blue line)
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://landsat.usgs.gov
Page Contact Information: Ask Landsat
Page Last Modified: 12/30/10 11:35 am
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