image: NASA's Terra satellite passed over the US west and captured an image of heat from several fires and their plumes of smoke over southeastern Montana and east-central Wyoming. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard Terra has infrared capabilities that can detect heat from the various wildfires. The image was captured on July 4, 2012, at 18:00 UTC (2:00 p.m. EDT). In the MODIS images, fires, or hot spots are color coded as red areas in imagery and smoke appears in light brown. Images are generated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. In eastern Montana, the Ash Creek Complex Fire is burning in the Custer National Forest. As of July 6, it had burned 248,600 acres, up from 170,000 acres on July 2. According to the Custer National Forest, the north flank of the fire is the most active. As of July 6, the fire was 70 percent contained. The smaller fire to the south of the Ash Creek Complex fire is the Taylor Creek Fire. South of the border, the Oil Creek Fire in Newcastle, Wyo., had consumed 61, 472 acres as or July 6, 2012. The fire is raging on land owned by the US Bureau of Land Management, and state and private property. According to Inciweb.org, the fire was 50 percent contained as of July 6. view more
Credit: Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center