Suggested Searches

1 min read

Fires in Northern Australia

Instruments:
Topics:
2004-09-14 00:00:00
September 14, 2004

Several large, smoky fires were burning in Northern Australia on September 14, 2004, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image. Fire is common in northern Australia this time of year as the grass that grew during the wet season dries in the dry winter and spring. Fire is used as a land management technique, but some of these fires may also have been triggered by lightning. Darkened land around some of the larger fires show where the grass has recently been burned. This image is available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in multiple resolutions.

References & Resources

NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

Fighting Fire With Fire
3 min read

In fire-prone ecosystems in Australia's Northern Territory, prescribed burns are lit to minimize the severity of fires later in the…

Article
Fires Tear Through Nebraska Grasslands
3 min read

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

Article
Cottonwood Fire Chars Utah
5 min read

The blaze burned more than 150 square miles and swept through parts of a ski resort.

Article