A new high definition (HD) image of the Earth, at 8,000 x 8,000 pixels, has been captured using NASA's latest observation satellite, the Suomi NPP, located 824 kilometers from the planet's surface. Named after Verner E. Suomi, a pioneer in the use of geostationary satellites, the instrument captures a complete image of the planet every day. In fact, this snapshot of the "blue marble" is actually made up of multiple photographs of Earth taken on January 4, 2012.
The Suomi NPP satellite has 5 instruments on board, of which the most important is VIIRS, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer that photographs the planet in "segments" and with the same light intensity every 24 hours.
