This view of Hurricane Ida, a massive hurricane that struck Earth 1 million miles away is a clear view taken from NASA's Epic camera at the NOAA Deep Climate Observatory at a stable Lagrange Point on Aug. 29, 2021 when the storm hit Louisiana as a Category 4-storm. (Image credit to NOAA).
The sheer size of Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that swept through Louisiana on Sunday (Aug. 29,), was obvious from almost a million miles away.
NASA's Epic camera, NOAA Deep Space Climate Observatory and (DSCOVR), has a new photo of Hurricane Ida from Lagrange point 1. This is a point between Earth and the sun that's approximately 1 million miles (1 million kilometers) away from Earth. It was just as it struck the U.S. Gulf Coast.
"From approximately 1 million miles away NASA's EPIC camera from NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory observed Hurricane Ida approaching Louisiana yesterday," NOAA officials said in a Twitter update today (30 August).
Video: Category 4 hurricane Hurricane Ida is seen by satellites
Similar: Amazing Hurricane Photos from Space
Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane that whipped up winds of up to 150 mph and torrential rain, made landfall near Port Fourchon in Louisiana. It arrived in Louisiana 16 years ago, 16 years after the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. According to the New York Times, the storm knocked out power to an estimated 1,000,000 customers. At least two deaths were also attributed to it. Ida was expected to cause flooding due to storm surge and wind damage.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Ida was downgraded today to a tropical depression at 20 miles (35km) north-northwest Jackson in Mississippi. It dropped heavy rains across portions of southern Alabama, Mississippi, and southeast Louisiana by 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT).
Two NASA facilities, the Michoud Assembly Facility (New Orleans) and the Stennis Space Center (Mississippi), were placed under emergency lockdown by the storm. Only the essential personnel was available to help with the recovery.
"Initial assessments by the NASA rideout crew at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility indicate that all personnel are present and are safe. Michoud is still closed and running on generator power," Michoud officials stated in an update this morning. The facility is not experiencing significant flooding. NASA personnel are currently conducting damage assessments to assess the damage.
NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility houses the production hub for its new Space Launch System megarocket. It is designed to launch astronauts to orbit the moon in the Artemis program.
Learn more about how you can prepare for possible hurricane conditions.
Tariq Malik can be reached at tmalik@space.com, or on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom on Facebook and Instagram.
