HIRSN6IM: Nimbus-6 Satellite Infrared Brightness Temperature Images, 1975-1976

NASA's Nimbus-6 satellite captured these images of infrared brightness temperatures from August 17, 1975, through March 4, 1976. The data product consists of black and white images on 70 mm film strips from the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), with 10 channels per orbit and an 18-step gray scale. The HIRS instrument measured radiances in five spectral regions, including the 15-micrometer CO2 band and the infrared window.

Use Cases

• Analyze historical atmospheric temperature profiles based on the 15-micrometer CO2 absorption band channels.
• Study early water vapor distribution based on the 6.7 and 8.2 micrometer water vapor absorption band channels.
• Compare cloud and surface features based on the 11.1 and 3.7 micrometer infrared window channels.
• Research the calibration and conversion of analog film imagery to digital brightness temperatures based on the described 18-step gray scale.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 7-month period from August 1975 to March 1976.
• Images contain 10 spectral channels across five distinct infrared and visible regions.
• Includes both full and partial vertical scale image modes, as described.

Limitations

• Data is stored in legacy film and image formats (JPEG, BIN, ISO), requiring specialized handling for quantitative analysis.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NOAA National Environmental Satellite Service.

Collection Method

Collected by the Nimbus-6 High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) instrument.

Time Range

August 17, 1975 (day of year 229) through March 4, 1976 (day of year 238).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 01:39:29.886441; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global coverage from satellite orbit.