10 July 2012
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Fig. 1
A giant arc of blowing dust over the Red Sea
Credit: NASA
On 20 June 2012, a huge arc-shaped dust storm blew from far inland in Sudan into the Red Sea. NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a natural-color image of the magnificent storm (Fig. 1), on the same day.
A vast network of impermanent rivers, or wadis, extends across Sudan. Winds can carry fine sediments from these wadis for long distances.
Aqua is a massive research satellite weighing over three tonnes. It studies Earth’s water from an elliptical orbit located about 700 km above Earth’s surface.
References:
Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=78361
Wikipedia
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist