Forest fires were burning in the Yakutsk region of eastern Russia on July 21, 2009. Large columns of smoke blew north from the fires and pooled against the base of the Verkhoyanskiy Mountains. This natural-color (photo-like) image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. Places where the sensor detected active fire are outlined in red.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.