Now, NASA has a new way to help in the fight, using the International Space Station to track wildfires and direct firefighters to where they’re needed most.
Satellites play a major role in tracking wildfires, both for people trying to avoid the blaze and firefighters working to contain it. When you’re looking at a fire the size of Los Angeles, a bird’s eye view is the only way to get the full picture.
ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images
NASA and NOAA both track wildfires through satellites, aided by planes from the U.S. Forest Service. The strengths of one type of satellite can cover the weaknesses of another and provide a fuller picture.
Geostationary satellites offer a continuous view of one area on Earth for real-time — but low-resolution — fire tracking.
Polar-orbiter satellites can pass over a fire a few times per day on their trip around the Earth, but offer much higher resolution. The highest-resolution images come from satellites that might pass a given area only once every few days.