Our skies are covered by satellites that keep an eye on things from 35,000 km above Earth’s surface. It’s refreshing watch the clouds float by on a calm day. But it’s invigorating to see what’s going on from above.
Taking in the beauty of our planet is a special treat on . Sunday morning marked the Sun’s direct rays crossing the equator to begin focusing their energy on the southern hemisphere. That sunshine witnessed everything from a sprawling system over Canada to brewing trouble in the tropics.
Here’s a look at our gorgeous planet from above—the ultimate group photo of Canada and our entire hemisphere on the first full day of fall. Have you ever heard of the terminator? That’s the term for the line that divides the Earth’s surface between daytime and nighttime. It’s fun to track the terminator’s movement through the seasons, tilting right and left as we whirl around the Sun throughout the year.
The terminator forms a nearly perfect north-south line on the equinoxes. On this satellite image, the dividing line between night and day will appear to tilt toward the left for the next six months as the northern hemisphere experiences longer nights than our counterparts south of the equator. Closer to home is a gorgeous swirl looming overhead.
A broad trough dipping over the Great Lakes will bring , breaking the weeks-long dry streaks seen in Toronto and Montreal. The low-pressure system associated with this trough sent a cold front crashing from Hudson Bay .