Oslo, Norway

Originally released on July 7, 2010.

Oslo is the capital and largest city in Norway. Founded in 1048, the city was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1648, and re-named Christiania. In 1925, the city reclaimed its original name, Oslo. With the discovery of vast reserves of oil in the North Sea, Norway has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and in 2009 Oslo became the world's most expensive city. Oslo's ~900,000 inhabitants live along and at the end of the 60km long Oslofjord. This image was acquired August 26, 2000, covers an area of 35.4 x 41.2 km, and is located at 59.9 degrees north latitude, 10.8 degrees east longitude.

With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched Dec. 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra spacecraft. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and the data products.

The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.

The ASTER U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.