April 7, 2021 - Ireland, the Emerald Island

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   The deep greens of Ireland are dramatically evident in this true-color
   image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
   (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite on April 2, 2021.

   These intense greens are the result of moderate temperatures and moist
   air. The warm currents in the North Atlantic Drift help moderate the
   climate of the country, while the moist ocean air also contributes to
   the abundant rainfall that showers Ireland lightly and regularly. Both
   encourage lush vegetative growth which gives the island its
   gorgeous—and famous—green color.

   While satellite images illustrate why Ireland justly earned the
   nickname of “The Emerald Island”, history tells us that the moniker was
   popular long before the first rocket launch or first image returned to
   Earth. The term is said to have been first used by William Drennan, a
   Belfast-born poet, physician, and political radical who lived from 1754
   until 1820. Drennan first used the term in 1795 to describe Ireland
   (poetically known as Erin, a term derived from the name of an Irish
   goddess) in his poem “When Erin First Rose”. In celebration of the fact
   that April is the Academy of American of Poets’ National Poetry
   Month—and in honor of the upcoming Irish National Poetry Day on April
   29—please enjoy the first lines of William Drennan’s poem. It appears
   to be a fitting description of Ireland.

   When Erin first rose from the dark swelling flood, God bless’d the
   green island and saw it was good; The em’rald of Europe, it sparkled
   and shone, In the ring of the world the most precious stone. In her
   sun, in her soil, in her station thrice blest, With her back towards
   Britain, her face to the West, Erin stands proudly insular, on her
   steep shore, And strikes her high harp ‘mid the ocean’s deep roar.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 4/2/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (158.1 KB),  500m (420.6 KB),  250m (264.4
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-04-07
 
