Hyperspectral

Imaging in hundreds of narrow, contiguous spectral bands instead of a handful of broad ones. EMIT, for example, measures 285 bands.

Why it matters

Many bands resolve fine spectral signatures — specific minerals, methane plumes, phytoplankton types — that broadband sensors blur together.

In plain terms

A normal camera sees 3 colors (red, green, blue). A hyperspectral sensor sees hundreds — enough to read a material’s chemical “fingerprint.”