Module 2 — Spectral Bands

Spectral Bands Explorer

Interactive reference for satellite spectral bands, physics, and practical Python workflows

Electromagnetic Spectrum & Sentinel-2 Band Positions

400 nm700 nm1000 nm1500 nm2000 nm2500 nmUVVisibleNIRSWIRB01B02B03B04B05B06B07B08B8AB09B10B11B12350 nm2500 nmWavelengthTIR & MW →

UV (< 400 nm)

Rayleigh scattering (intensity ~ 1/wavelength^4); ozone absorption below 300 nm blocks most UV. Used by Sentinel-5P for O3 and NO2 column retrievals.

Satellite: Sentinel-5P (TROPOMI)

Visible (400-700 nm)

Pigment absorption (chlorophyll, phycocyanin) and water-leaving radiance. Primary bands for ocean colour, land cover, and true-colour imagery.

Satellite: Sentinel-2 MSI, Landsat OLI

NIR (700-1100 nm)

Mesophyll internal scattering in vegetation; strong water absorption. Key for NDVI, biomass, and water body delineation.

Satellite: Sentinel-2, Landsat, MODIS

SWIR (1100-2500 nm)

Vibrational absorption of O-H, Al-OH, CO3 bonds. Critical for mineral mapping, snow/ice, fire detection, and soil moisture.

Satellite: Sentinel-2 (B11/B12), Landsat (B6/B7)

Thermal IR (8-14 μm)

Blackbody emission (Wien peak ~10 μm at 290 K). Land surface temperature, urban heat islands, volcanic monitoring.

Satellite: Landsat TIRS, MODIS, GOES ABI

Microwave (1 mm-1 m)

Surface roughness backscatter (SAR) and thermal emission (radiometer). All-weather, day/night imaging; soil moisture, sea ice.

Satellite: Sentinel-1 (C-band SAR), SMAP

Use the tabs above to explore each topic. All equations rendered with MathJax.