Worldview: What are the large data gaps or missing areas near the equator for some of the imagery?

[Earthdata-EDL - wxedward]

What are the large data gaps or missing areas near the equator for some of the imagery?

[Earthdata-EDL - wxedward]

The regularly spaced gaps near the equator are due to lack of coverage between orbits. Terra, Aqua, and Aura are polar orbiting satellites, traveling from pole to pole. The Terra satellite travels north to south, passing over the equator at 10:30 a.m., local time (and 10:30 p.m. local time). Aqua and Aura move in the opposite direction, south to north, passing over the equator at 1:30 p.m. local time (and 1:30 a.m. local time). At high latitudes, adjacent imaging swaths overlap significantly, but at the equator gaps occur between adjacent swaths. As a result, complete global coverage is achieved every one to two days. The newer joint NOAA/NASA Suomi - National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) satellite does not have the data gaps at the equator. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument has a wider swath width than the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites, which covers the data gaps. Check out the tour story describing swath gaps.