Description

The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) Level 1A lunar data products capture unique images of the Moon appearing alongside Earth when the Earth is not in the field of view from the spacecraft's position at Lagrange point L1. These specialized observations, stored in HDF5 format, contain calibrated radiance measurements across 10 spectral bands ranging from 317 nm (ultraviolet) to 780 nm (near-infrared). The lunar dataset provides a distinctive perspective of the Moon from approximately one million miles away, offering valuable information for lunar surface characterization and calibration opportunities. These images have scientific value as they show the fully illuminated far side of the Moon that is not visible from Earth.

DOI

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Citation Styles for this Dataset

Resources and Documentation

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Earthdata Forum

GOTO WEB TOOL

DSCOVR EPIC Visualization Tool

PROFESSIONAL HOME PAGE

National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NOAA - National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

PROJECT HOME PAGE

NOAA overview of DSCOVR: Deep Space Climate Observatory

VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

ALGORITHM DOCUMENTATION

• EPIC Geolocation and Color Imagery Algorithm Revision 6 October 10, 2019

DATA CITATION GUIDELINES

• How to cite ASDC data

GENERAL DOCUMENTATION

• ASDC Data and Information for DSCOVR
• Earth Observation Portal Page for DSCOVR Mission Information

INSTRUMENT/SENSOR CALIBRATION DOCUMENTATION

• EPIC level 1 A & Calibration factors table

MICRO ARTICLE

• NASA Captures "EPIC" Earth Image Article from July 20, 2015
• NASA Studies High Clouds, Saharan Dust from EPIC View
• New York Times Blog "From a Million Miles Away, a New NASA ‘Blue Marble’ View of Earth" By Andrew C. Revkin

PROCESSING HISTORY

• Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) Data Format Control Book Specification Version 4, September 15, 2025 To serve as ATBD for all L1 collections.

PRODUCT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

• EPIC Geolocation Quality Summary Algorithm Revision 06 Product Version 03

PUBLICATIONS

• A New Blue Marble By Scott Kelly, NASA Astronaut
• Discover Article "Canadian Wildfire Smoke Was So Widespread it Was Visible From Nearly a Million Miles Away." By Tom Yulsman, May 27, 2023
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: 2016 Tournament Earth Champion: The Dark Side of the Moon - The images were acquired by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on the DSCOVR satellite
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: An EPIC Eclipse: Natural Hazards - The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) was built to provide a distinct perspective on our planet.
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: An EPIC New View of Earth: Image of the Day - From one million miles away, the DSCOVR satellite returned its first view of the entire sunlit side of Earth
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: April : 2016 : Earth Matters : Blog - The images were acquired by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on the DSCOVR satellite
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Keeping on the Sunny Side of Earth
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Plumes From Africa's Volcanic Duo: Image of the Day - Located near the equator in central Africa, the Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo volcanoes are often obscured from satellite view by clouds
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Seeing Through the Smoky Pall: Observations from a Grim Indonesian Fire Season - The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera aboard the DSCOVR satellite acquired this view of smoke drifting over the region.
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Space Debris: Image of the Day - Low and High Earth Orbital Debris Images
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: The Dark Side and the Bright Side: Image of the Day - A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) has captured a unique view of the Moon as it passed between the spacecraft and Earth
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: The Legacy of Nimbus: Image of the Day - No Longer Just for Astronauts
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Up, Up, and Away for DSCOVR - The journey has been a long one for the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)
• NASA Earth Observatory Article: Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan: Image of the Day
• NASA Leadership Blog, DSCOVR’s First Light on the Future by Buzz Aldrin
• The Atlantic Article "Al Gore Dreamed Up a Satellite—and It Just Took Its First Picture of Earth: The U.S. Deep Space Climate Observatory just sent back its first view of our home world, and it’s a beauty." By Robinson Meyer, July 20, 2015

USER FEEDBACK PAGE

• NASA Goddard Twitter Page

Keywords

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