Zeus
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I've had this picture for about 15 years and am trying to date it and get some history on the photo itself. I got it from a friend of a friend who got it from a corporate board room. He said the picture is from the early to mid 60's and was one of the first whole earth photos from space. Its 42x42" and super sharp, even if it doesn't look like it in the photo.
The huge storm in the gulf and the one in the eastern Pacific should be able to date it, but I haven't been able to find a way to positively identify either. I find historical satellite imagery is hard to search on the web, and even harder if it was from the 60's.
Looking at the tracks of storms I'm guessing Hilda of 64' or Beullah of 67'. Some say Camille, but from what I was told it was in Martin's board room in 69'. Could this be from Tiros 8 or 9? I'm more interested in knowing the satellite than the storm's name.
[image]http://www.2ndlight.com/forum42ndlight/attachments/World%20Pic%2Ejpg[/image]
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Zeus
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I don't know why the link didn't work. Heres a better pic anyway.
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Keith234
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I'm not sure what sat. that picture can from, maybe one of the mods. can help. But that sure looks like hurricane camille in the gulf, I think hurricane camille occured in 1969 August if I'm correct, and it also has the the area of no clouds around the intense eye area, which is sonomous with Hurricane Camille.
You can see the picture by going to hurricane history and clicking the Hurricane Camille by storm lover, I have a post having a website that shows a good close up picture of the storm.
camille was fairly compact. you'd be surprised how small it was.. go look it up on the ncdc archives. HF
Edited by HanKFranK (Sat Aug 28 2004 12:14 AM)
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LI Phil
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Use the URL not the image:
unknown hurricane
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2005 Forecast: 14/7/4
BUCKLE UP!
"If your topic ain't tropic, your post will be toast"
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Clark
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I can tell you that it is not Camille, as there was no tropical cyclone in the East Pacific in 1969 at the same time as Camille.
The first satellite images of the Earth from outer space were taken around 1960 (1961 or 1962, I believe), but were very grainy. I'd be willing to venture a guess to say that the image wasn't one of the first of the Earth from outer space - those were more often television camera images as opposed to the new visible/infrared sounders over the past few decades - and instead was taken sometime later. But, that's just my opinion.
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anon
Unregistered
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Beulah. 1967.
sc 
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danielw
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Loc: Hattiesburg,MS (31.3N 89.3W)
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I agree with Clark. The pics I have of Camille are very grainy. This storm is too far west for a MS landfall. Try checking the NOAA NESDIS library of satellite shots. I will take you a while but you may just find it. The storm looks poised to make landfall around Corpus Christi/ Galveston Bay area. Judging from the clouds in the Pacific and the lack of clouds in the Midwest, I would say maybe a September storm. Cool air over the Pac. Ocean. Then again it could be an early June storm, but there just isn't enough convection over the Midwest to go with that.
There was a CAT 2 or 3 in TX in the early 70's. Allen comes to mind.
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HanKFranK
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that is allen. i'm fairly sure.
HF 0411z28august
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Clark
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Note that the original TIROS satellites weren't geostationary orbiters, just polar orbiters. The orientation of the satellite is such that leads me to believe you are seeing an image from one of the geostationary orbiters.
But, there is one thing that leads me to wonder if it isn't even a newer storm than Allen (which I could buy except for one thing, noted below). The only geostationary satellite in orbit taking images over the Atlantic/EPac at the time was GOES-2 (as an aside, it still functions for data transmissions, but hasn't been used for imagery for many years), and it was positioned over 60°W.
This satellite appears to be positioned over 75°W, where the newer GOES-EAST satellites are located. GOES-5 was the first satellite to be located at this spot, and it wasn't launched until 1981. Allen, of course, was a 1980 storm. I think it's an image from GOES-5, GOES-8, or GOES-12...likely the first...but the when part? I'm not sure on that. I can't pin down any storm that would fit between 1980 and 1995. Note that the EPac twin to the Gulf storm matches if it is Allen, however -- Isis was a storm of minimal hurricane intensity around the time Allen was in that location.
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Edited by Clark (Sat Aug 28 2004 01:40 AM)
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Zeus
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Thanks for all the help. Clark, you make a good argument for Allen. The problem is I have good reason to believe the picture is much older. The man I got it from had left Martin Company prior to 81' and his claim was they took it off the wall and gave it to him when he left. He told me the picture was very significant, and there may be something military in that.
Also Martin built Titan rockets and launched military satellites in the 60's that could explain the Martin board room connection. He also mentioned he thought the satellite was Hughes built. So you can see the confusion on my part.
Either the picture is of Allen and I was fed a crock, or there really is something significant about the picture. A mystery that I may never solve.
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Nsearch
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Told ya this is the place to come with that image Zeus......good luck in determining which storm it is. Either way, you've still got a great wall-hanger 
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Life is in the details
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MJP
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It is Allen from 1980. I found a Powerpoint presentation at http://kelvin.ou.edu/METR%202603/Hurricanes%202.PPT ... and slides 6-8 (especially 7) show the same pattern: Allen in the Gulf of Mexico, with an East Pacific cyclone opposite it. The rest of the cloud patterns match so well, that I'd bet the two images (yours and slide 7 of the preso) were taken hours apart.
So, it appears pretty sure Allen is the subject, but I can't help you with any other reason your pic is special. Sorry about that.
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Zeus
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Thanks MJP that’s the confirmation I was looking for, and even though I’d ruled out Allen and Isis, Clark was right.
The reason I’d ruled out Isis as the Epac storm was the last report I found for her was advisory #24 on 08/05/12Z and she was a fading TD with 30 mph winds. Yet I placed Allen at the location shown very close to 08/08/00Z (advisory #31). It was close but not a match as I saw it.
Obviously Isis re-intensified and/or data is missing from the Unisys history files I’m using, because my photo, and the slide, both clearly show a much stronger system than that. Regardless, you have found a match with that .ppt.
Do you have any additional info on the photo in that .ppt? My real goal here is to identify the space craft that took the photo, since my career has been spent launching space craft of all types I want to know. And as Clark pointed out, there really wasn’t anything in that geostationary position at that time (at least not that we know about). Also, to my knowledge GOES couldn’t produce that resolution and field of view all at the same time back then.
The photo in the .ppt appears to be from the same location, and if I assume some resolution was lost in digitizing the photo and zooming in on the gulf, it could be from the same satellite and instrument. Considering the photo on slide 7 is from only a few hours after my photo, it almost certainly confirms a geostationary position too. Judging from the convective storm clouds over Florida, I’d guess only about 6 hours difference. The source of the photos used on the slides could have all the answers I’m after.
I certainly appreciate your research and help. You have no idea how much time I’ve put into this without finding any photographic match. Please post any additional info you have.
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MJP
Unregistered
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You're welcome. I actually just fiddled in Google for ten minutes or so and found the PowerPoint presentation. Sorry, but that's what I found. Perhaps whoever owns the site the PowerPoint preso came from can tell you more about where the photo came from.
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Ken-SRQ
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Zeus,
As you already discovered, it is Hurricane Allen circa August 1980. I was working in a grocery store in Houston at the time when they evacuated Galveston in what was then the largest peacetime evacuation in history.
Here is a link to an image taken at the same time as yours:
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/lae/images/LE410L11.jpg
It is part of the Smithsonian collection. Here is the exhibit link that it is from (scroll down a little):
http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/lae/html/sat_clouds.htm
I'll bet that you can call the National Air and Space Museum in D.C. and they can ID the satellite that took your picture, or tell you if it is a mosaic of several shots.
Hope this points you in the right direction.
Ken
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Zeus
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Dang, I should have thought of the Smithsonian. I've been a member forever. Thanks Ken.
Interesting that the second link reports it as a GOES image. As Clark pointed out there wasn't a GOES at that location in 1980. Also I've never seen a GOES from that era with that high a resolution, and never a full planet view. Interesting indeed.
I guess I'll have to call the Air and Space.
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danielw
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Different view angle and possibly a different satellite
http://vims.cis.udel.edu/eye/img5.gif
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