Figure 1
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The terracotta army, was buried near the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, in about 220 BCE. The 8,000 figures, chariots and horses were discovered by farmers in 1974 outside of Xian. The unexcavated pyramidal tomb is about 300 by 300 m, and over 75 m high. The image was acquired July 25, 2023, covers an area of 8.5 by 9.2 km, and is located at 34.4 degrees north, 109.2 degrees east. Map (Figure 1) from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139439886

With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of about 50 to 300 feet (15 to 90 meters), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on Terra. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.

The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.