Osaka lies to the West of Tokyo and is Japan’s third-largest city. The city runs along the Yodo river and stretches along the coast of Osaka Bay.
Images of our planet at night taken from the International Space Station show that people have settled where the living is easy – along rivers and bays. Artificial lights from human habitation and industry highlight the advantages of settling next to rivers and seas where water provides food, waste disposal, transport and cooling for factories.
The white lights in the center of this picture correspond to Osaka’s two city centers, Kita and Minami, where businesses, shopping streets and areas of entertainment are concentrated.
To the Northeast, across the river Yodo, lies Itami Airport, the yellow vertical lights to the right of a river running North-South. The airport shares the load of landing aircraft in the Osaka area with Kobe and Kansai airports that were both built on artificial islands in Osaka Bay. The yellow lights of Kobe airport can be seen at the top-left of Osaka Bay in this picture, Kansai airport is just outside the frame.
Photo credit: ESA/NASA
Changes in Earth’s gravity field resulting from the earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March 2011 (mE=10-12s-2). A combination of data from ESA’s GOCE mission and the NASA–German Grace satellite, shows the ‘vertical gravity gradient change’. The 'beachball' marks the epicenter.
Image credit: DGFI/TU Delft
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (also called the Pearl Bridge), has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world, at 1991 meters. Located in Japan, and completed in 1998, it connects the city of Kobe with Iwaja on Awaji Island by crossing the busy Akashi Strait. The ASTER image was acquired December 8, 2009, covers an area of 15 by 18 km, and is located at 34.6 degrees north latitude, 135 degrees east longitude.
Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
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New studies have revealed that the massive earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March 2011 was also felt in space by ESA’s GOCE satellite. The massive earthquake sent ripples of sound – called infrasound – upwards through the atmosphere. These sound waves caused changes in air density that were detected by ESA’s GOCE gravity satellite as it crossed the wavefront.
Read full article: GOCE the First Seismometer in Orbit.
Video credit: ESA/IRAP/CNES/TU Delft/HTG/Planetary Visions
The animation shows how the massive earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 caused ripples in the atmosphere. As sound waves from the earthquake traveled upwards, they caused changes in air density that were detected by ESA’s GOCE gravity satellite as it crossed the wavefront.
Video credit: ESA/IRAP/CNES/TU Delft/HTG/Planetary Visions
A mine in Baiyun Ebo, Inner Mongolia, China is the site of almost half the world's rare earth production. China is responsible for over 95% of global production of rare earth elements. These elements are critical ingredients in catalytic converters, cell phones, televisions, lasers, magnets, batteries, and other high-tech gizmos. China's export restrictions have led the US, Japan and the European Union to complain to the World Trade Organization, claiming China was violating trade agreements. The US at one time was a leading producer of rare earths, but most of the mines have been closed. Recently, several US companies are in the process of attempting to re-open these mines and resume mining of rare earths. The image covers an area of 15 x 19 km, was acquired on June 30, 2006, and is located near 41.8 degrees north latitude, 110 degrees east longitude.
Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
