NASA Earth Observations captures the solar insolation as an image from its satellite.
These maps show where and how much sunlight fell on Earth's surface during the time period indicated. Scientists call this measure solar insolation. Knowing how much of the Sun's energy reaches the surface helps scientists understand weather and climate patterns as well as patterns of plant growth around our world. Solar insolation maps are also useful to engineers who design solar panels and batteries designed to convert energy from the Sun into electricity to power appliances in our homes and work places.
What do the colors in the image mean? The colors in these maps show how much sunlight (in Watts per square meter) fell on the Earth's surface during the given time period.