Earth from Space - Image Description

Day Fire, Southern California:

The Day Fire started in Los Padres National Forest north of Los Angeles on September 4, 2006. Easterly winds on September 17 blew the smoke westward, out to sea, and International Space Station astronauts observed this wind shift. In this astronaut photograph, the forested mountains north of Los Angeles appear dark green, and the smoke appears gray. Dense farmland appears at the south end of California's Central Valley.

The extent of the Day Fire smoke plume can be gauged from the gray urban region of greater Los Angeles (image right, center), which stretches along 80 kilometers (50 miles) of coastline. The plume obscures the northern Channel Islands, but the southern Channel Islands are silhouetted against the ocean, in the foreground. In the days before and after this photo was taken, shifting winds moved the smoke in different directions. On September 17, the plume was caught by westerly winds that steered the smoke back towards California--the leading edge of the gray smoke can be seen heading towards San Clemente Island.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.