---
title: "This Forest Fire Was So Huge, NASA Spotted It From Space"
description: "An Arizona forest fire has grown so large that satellites can easily see it from space, according to a new post by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory."
date: "2020-07-01"
modified: "2020-07-01"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/forest-fire-huge-nasa-space"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "forestry"
  - "NASA"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# This Forest Fire Was So Huge, NASA Spotted It From Space

![An Arizona forest fire has grown so large that satellites can easily see it from space, according to a new post by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/forest-fire-huge-nasa-space.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech\</em\>*

## Blazing Up

The Bighorn Fire is a vicious blaze that's been raging in Arizona since the beginning of June — forcing evacuations as [recently as this week](<https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2020/6/26/175593-bighorn-fire-forces-additional-evacuations/>).

In fact, the fire has grown so large that satellites can easily see it from space, according to a [new post](<https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7690>) by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

## Terra Firma

NASA grabbed the imagery using its Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument, on board its Terra satellite, which was launched back in 1999.

The epic shot included in the post shows the fire's progress over the Santa Catalina Mountains, North of Tucson. Vegetation is shown in red, according to NASA's description of the shot, and burned areas are shown in gray.

## High View

ASTER, the space agency wrote, is a useful instrument for mapping the changing surface of the Earth because of its high resolution and capability of imaging in thermal infrared wavelengths.

NASA has used it to study the movement of glaciers, volcanic activity, crop health, weather, and the wellbeing of wetlands and coral reefs.

**READ MORE:** [ NASA's ASTER Sees Arizona's Bighorn Fire Burn Scar From Space](<https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7690>) \[NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory\]

**More on fires:** [*Devastating Fires in Amazon Rainforest Can Be Seen From Space*](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/fire-amazon-rainforest-space>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)