What would Earth look like from a satellite million of years ago?

Post date: May 24, 2012 8:32:30 AM

Here are simulated views of Earth, minus the clouds, from the position of five main geostationary weather satellites, each over a different longitude (145°E, 057°E, 000°E, 057°W, and 132°W). We used data from our Visible Paleo-Earth and SER to generate these views for ten periods encompassing the last 600 million years. During these periods our planet became more habitable for complex life. Look here for actual satellite images of Earth from these satellites. Click each image for a better resolution version. High resolution versions (15 megapixels) are available by special request. CREDIT: Visible Paleo-Earth Project, Planetary Habitability Laboratory @ UPR Arecibo.