Satellite Captures Bushfires in Australia's Northern Territory and Queensland

A Japanese weather satellite captured images showing multiple bushfires flaring up in rural parts of north and northeastern Australia over a two-day period from Sunday, September 17, to Tuesday, September 19.

This timelapse imagery was captured by Japan’s Himawari-9 satellite and depicts the 47-hour period from 7:30 pm local time (ACST) on Sunday to 6:30 pm on Tuesday.

Fires, represented by a red glow, can be seen across the Northern Territory, on the left side of the frame, and in Queensland, to the right.

The fires in the Northern Territory were burning near Alice Springs and the Owen Springs Reserve in the southern portion the territory, and near the towns of Elliot and Kalkarindji further north, according to fire officials.

In Queensland, one of the fires led to the temporary closure of Blackdown Tableland National Park, another prompted temporary evacuation orders in the rural town of Emerald, and other blazes threatened residents in the areas of Townsville and Beerwah, Queensland officials said. Credit: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA via Storyful

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