Gallery | Volcanoes from space | Etna gets some radar love
This really is an image from space: it's a 3D map of Italy's Mt. Etna taken using radar from space! Two satellites fly in close formation, taking turns sending down pulses of radar. The reflected signal is picked up by both satellites, creating very high-resolution data.
By precisely measuring the time it takes the pulses to hit the ground and reflect back, a map of the topography of the region can be assembled. This can then be used to make a model of the volcano in three dimensions, which can be viewed from any angle, even one mimicking the view from the ground.
Emily Lakdawalla at The Planetary Society Blog has the details on this amazing image, as well as a much larger version.
Image credit: DLR
By precisely measuring the time it takes the pulses to hit the ground and reflect back, a map of the topography of the region can be assembled. This can then be used to make a model of the volcano in three dimensions, which can be viewed from any angle, even one mimicking the view from the ground.
Emily Lakdawalla at The Planetary Society Blog has the details on this amazing image, as well as a much larger version.
Image credit: DLR
