On January 20, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of Southeast Asia showing active fires (red outlines) burning across several countries: (clockwise from top left) Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. These fires are the product of the annual, agricultural burning season.
The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. . The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
In March and April 2005, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and southern China were experiencing some of the most severe drought conditions in decades. Fires filled the skies with smoke.