Hottest land surface temperatures between 2003 and 2005, based on data taken by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite. The scale was from 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, with the coldest areas appearing dark blue, the hottest being white, and the temperate regions being light purple. The hottest spot on Earth was Queensland, Australia in 2003, which reached nearly 70 degrees Celsius, and for 2004 and 2005 it was the Lut desert of Iran which reached a maximum of around 71 degrees Celsius. Land temperatures can be up to 40 degrees Celsius hotter than the air temperatures recorded by weather stations.