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Full catalog/AST_L1T
AST_L1T·v004·dataset

Detailed terrain-corrected sensor imagery (ASTER)

ASTER Level 1T Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance V004
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 1T active COG
In plain English

What it measures. Calibrated measurements of how much light and heat the sensor recorded across visible, shortwave-infrared, and thermal-infrared channels, with the imagery straightened and matched to real ground positions. Detail ranges from 15 m to 90 m depending on the channel.

How it's made. Comes from the ASTER instrument on NASA's Terra satellite, geometrically corrected and aligned to terrain using elevation data and ground reference points to put each pixel in its true location.

How & where you'd use it. A relatively low-level imagery product used to make detailed maps and to study surface materials, terrain, and changes; often a starting point for more processed products.

What's measured

SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › INFRARED WAVELENGTHS › REFLECTED INFRAREDSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › INFRARED WAVELENGTHS › THERMAL INFRAREDSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS › VISIBLE IMAGERYSPECTRAL/ENGINEERING › VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS › VISIBLE RADIANCE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2000-03-04 → ongoing
  • Measured byTerra (ASTER)
  • Processing levelLevel 1T
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • FormatsCOG
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Level 1 Precision Terrain Corrected Registered At-Sensor Radiance (AST_L1T) data contains calibrated at-sensor radiance, which corresponds with the ASTER Level 1B ([AST_L1B](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1B.004)) that has been geometrically corrected and rotated to a north-up UTM projection. The AST_L1T is created from a single resampling of the corresponding ASTER L1A ([AST_L1A](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.004)) product. The bands available in the AST_L1T depend on the bands in the AST_L1A and can include up to three Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) bands, six Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands, and five Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands. The AST_L1T dataset does not include the aft-looking VNIR band 3. The AST_L1T product has a spatial resolution of 15 meters (m) for the VNIR bands, 30 m for the SWIR bands, and 90 m for the TIR bands. The precision terrain correction process incorporates GLS2000 digital elevation data with derived ground control points (GCPs) to achieve topographic accuracy for all daytime scenes where correlation statistics reach a minimum threshold. Alternate levels of correction are possible (systematic terrain, systematic, or precision) for scenes acquired at night or that otherwise represent a reduced quality ground image (e.g., cloud cover). For daytime images, if the VNIR or SWIR telescope collected data and precision correction was attempted, each precision terrain corrected image will have an accompanying independent quality assessment. It will include the geometric correction available for distribution as both a text file and single band browse images with the valid GCPs overlaid. This multi-file product also includes georeferenced full resolution browse images. The number of browse images and the band combinations of the images depends on the bands available in the corresponding [AST_L1A](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.004) dataset. Known Issues * TIR bands: Acquisitions for TIR bands ended on January 16, 2026, at 05:10:45 UTC, when the ASTER TIR instrument was permanently turned off due to power limitations on the Terra spacecraft. More information is available in this [NASA Science News Brief](https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/science-news/2026/02/12/terra-adjusts-instrument-operations-to-extend-mission-life/). * Data acquisition gaps: On November 28, 2024, one of Terra's power-transmitting shunt units failed. As a result, there was insufficient power to maintain functionality of the ASTER instrument. ASTER resumed acquisitions for the VNIR bands on January 18, 2025, and for the TIR bands on April 15, 2025. Users should note the data gap in ASTER acquisitions from November 28, 2024, through January 16, 2025, for VNIR observations, and a gap from November 28, 2024, through April 15, 2025, for TIR acquisitions. * Zero values: Since October 1, 2017, a correction addresses zero-filled scans in low-latitude, ascending orbit (nighttime) TIR data. Additional details are available in the [ASTER L1T User Advisory](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/191/ASTER_L1T_User_Advisory_May_11_17.pdf). * SWIR bands: ASTER SWIR detectors are no longer functioning as of January 12, 2009, due to anomalously high SWIR detector temperatures. * SWIR anomaly: Users are advised that ASTER SWIR data acquired from April 2008 to January 11, 2009, exhibit anomalous saturation of values and anomalous striping. This effect is also present for some prior acquisition periods. Please refer to the [ASTER SWIR User Advisory](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/1661/ASTER_SWIR_User_Advisory_Jan_12_2009.pdf) for more details.

Get the data

ast_l1t_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="AST_L1T",
    version="004",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LPCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.