theatlantic:  Picture of the Day: Snowfall Across Italy, From Space  The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA'a Aqua satellite captured this picture of Italy last week, shortly after recent snowstorms had blanketed much of the country. The Aqua satellite has been in orbit since 2002, collecting information about all aspects of the Earth's water cycle, including evaporation, clouds, soil moisture, and fluctuations in sea and land ice cover. See more. [Image: NASA]