File:Autumn in the Midwest (MODIS).jpg

English: October 2, 2023 September 1, 2023

Autumn comes quickly in the Midwestern United States, with cooler temperatures and shortening daylight changing the landcover from green to a brilliant palette of orange, tan, yellow, and red. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a pair of true-color images that show the changing colors of fall south of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.

The first image, acquired on October 2, 2023, is painted in fall colors. Agricultural fields, primarily in the south, have turned tan and yellow as green crops have been harvested to leave open land, or are still standing, but have turned brown in the field. Corn is a primary crop in this region, with the golden-hued stalks an iconic decoration in barns, homes, and front porches in the fall. Further north, shades of orange, yellow, and red mark the changing colors of the leaves of deciduous trees.

The second image, acquired on September 1, 2023, shows a late-summer scene. Croplands are emerald green prior to harvest, and the forests wear a fully green canopy. The first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere came on September 23.