Interesting Technology

NASA satellite tracks the reddening of autumn leaves

The OCI instrument on NASA's PACE satellite observes the oceans and vegetation every day in 286 spectral bands. Some of them allow scientists to track changes in leaf pigments: anthocyanins (red), carotenoids (yellow and orange) and chlorophylls (green). Scientists measure how red, orange and yellow forests appear compared with green, and over time this ratio shows where leaves are changing color and when the color reaches its peak. From September 29 to October 4, high redness was detected in the northern and eastern parts of Russia, in northern Alaska and in northern Canada. From October 5 to 11, redness began to decline in New England and upstate New York, while in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic region it spread. This is a modern continuation of the Japanese tradition of "momijigari", or "red leaf hunting", which has existed for more than a thousand years.

Not covered in Armenian media (checked 26 October)

This story is based on the organisation's press release.