NASA pairs visible and infrared views of a Montana fire cloud
A newly published NASA account pairs visible and infrared observations of an August fire cloud, showing how different measurements connect a burning landscape to the atmosphere above it.
The pale veil around this towering cloud is a pileus: a brief condensation of water above a powerful updraft.
The image records the Sand Creek fire in Montana on August 11; the explanatory account was published September 29. It is an observation from a research flight, not a current fire warning.
Heat from the fire drove air upward, lifting a moist layer above it. As that displaced air cooled, water condensed into the smooth cap. NASA’s MASTER instrument, aboard an ER-2 aircraft, captured the scene at 23:40 UTC. The natural-colour view shows smoke and cloud structure; its shortwave-infrared counterpart distinguishes active burning from the scar already left behind.
These views belong to INSPYRE, a campaign investigating how extreme fires generate towering clouds and transport smoke into the upper atmosphere. Better forecasting is a research objective; this image alone does not demonstrate improved warning accuracy.
Use the comparison here: first locate the smooth cap above the cloud, then switch to infrared to distinguish active burning from the scar. The scene and time stay fixed; the wavelength changes.
Sources & details 3 sources
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Paste the brief into your voice app to discuss this reporting.Revised 4 October 2026. Reporting and visuals refined. Original source dates and prior checks retained.
Reporting sources
- NASA Earth Observatory · annotated image and account
Published September 29, 2026; observation August 11 at 23:40 UTC. Original natural-colour and shortwave-infrared views inspected; no new forecast-performance claim.
- MASTER — flight 26-681-00
Primary flight record confirms August 11, Montana, ER-2 #806 and instrument passes. Track 13 spans 23:36–23:45 UTC.
- INSPYRE · science objectives
Campaign research questions and forecast-development objectives; objectives are not completed results.
Images & figures
Sand Creek fire, Montana — August 11, 2026, 23:40 UTC. Natural-colour MASTER observation from NASA’s ER-2; published September 29. Full supplied frame retained.
NASA / MASTER — RoseAnne Dominguez; NASA Earth Observatory / Michala Garrison · Source · Usage terms
One moment, two measurements. MASTER observed the Sand Creek fire on August 11, 2026 at 23:40 UTC. Natural colour reveals smoke and the smooth pileus cap; the infrared composite reveals active burning in pink and yellow. This is a wavelength comparison, not a timeline. Infrared colours are a false-colour composite, not a calibrated temperature scale.
NASA / MASTER — RoseAnne Dominguez; NASA Earth Observatory / Michala Garrison · Source · Usage terms