Earth from space: image of the week

[jacqmans]

Wildfires rage across Athens
13/08/2024

Firefighters in Greece are battling a rapidly spreading wildfire that has swept across several neighbourhoods in Athens, Greece, on Monday. Thousands of residents have been evacuated as the massive fire reached the suburbs of Athens, with some flames reaching heights of 25 m.

This image shows the fires surrounding Athens on 12 August 2024, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. This image has been processed in a way that highlights vegetation in red, while the burned areas can be seen in black. The estimated affected area exceeds 100 sq km.

In response to the fires, the Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to cover the fire event affecting the Attica Region. Copernicus EMS Rapid Mapping was requested to provide an initial rough estimate, as well as emergency mapping of the fire’s extent and damage assessment.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites, each carrying an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for monitoring changes in Earth’s land and vegetation.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Sentinel-2 captures Sentinel-2
06/09/2024

The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite captured this image over Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 2 September, just ahead of the Sentinel-2C launch.

Europe's Spaceport is situated in the northeast of South America in French Guiana, an overseas department of France. The spaceport lies northwest of Kourou, a coastal town on the estuary of the Kourou River, both visible near the centre of the image. After running for 144 km, the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The brownish hue of its muddy waters is most likely the result of sediment gathered from the nearby forest.

White, sandy beaches stretch along the ocean coast north of Kourou, while the riverbank and the interior regions are mostly covered by mangroves and dense tropical rainforest.

The spaceport is home to the ESA-developed Ariane and Vega rocket families, whose launch pads can be spotted in the top left corner of the image.

Thanks to its geographical position near the equator, the spaceport is ideally placed as launchers benefit from increased velocity owing to the ‘slingshot’ effect, created by the speed of Earth’s rotation.

From here, the third Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, Sentinel-2C, launched on 5 September aboard the final Vega rocket.

The Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites flying in the same orbit but 180° apart: currently Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B. With Sentinel-2C now in orbit, it will soon replace its predecessor, Sentinel-2A, prolonging the life of the mission and ensuring a continuous supply of data for Copernicus, the Earth observation component of the EU Space Programme.

Sentinel-2 data are currently being used for a broad range of applications, including agriculture, water quality monitoring, methane emissions detection and natural disaster management, including wildfires, volcanic eruptions and floods.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Adriatic bloom
13/09/2024

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures algal bloom swirls in the north Adriatic Sea, along the coast of Italy.


An algal bloom describes the rapid growth of phytoplankton – microscopic marine plants that drift on or near the sea surface. The chlorophyll that phytoplankton use for photosynthesis collectively tints the surrounding waters, providing a means of detecting these tiny organisms from space with certain satellite sensors.

With its 13 spectral channels, Copernicus Sentinel-2’s imager can be used to detect the extent and evolution of these blooms. In this image from 12 August 2024, the emerald-green streaks, eddies and whirls of the bloom, mixed by winds and currents, are clearly visible and cover an area of around 9000 sq km.

Algal blooms are a natural and essential part of ocean life. Warm weather, with surface water temperatures reaching 29°C, and calm seas in July and August 2024 led to an increase in mucilage in the Adriatic Sea. Here, white threads of mucilage can be spotted across the bloom. Currents and winds contributed to concentrating the mucilage into visible patches along the coast, interfering with fishing activities and making the waters less attractive for swimmers.

Satellite data like those from Sentinel-2 can be used to track the growth and spread of blooms and can help local authorities to implement timely strategies to reduce the impact on tourism and fishing.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Burning Man festival
20/09/2024

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has snapped a souvenir of the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock desert in Nevada.

Covering about 2600 sq km, the Black Rock Desert is an arid region of lava beds and alkali flats in northwestern Nevada. The picture, acquired on 26 August 2024, captures the white, sandy area in the southwestern part of the desert, where the Burning Man festival takes place annually.

Over 70 000 people gathered from 25 August to 2 September at Black Rock for the desert-based event. This image, taken from orbit on the second day of the event, shows the area of camper vans and tents grouped together for the week-long art and self-expression festival, which involves music, stunning art installations, experimental and interactive sculptures, and art cars, among others.

The name comes from its culminating ceremony, featuring the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, located at the dead centre of this temporary settlement.

Like most of Nevada, the Black Rock Desert lies within the Great Basin Desert, the largest in the US, covering an arid expanse of some 492 000 sq km. The Great Basin is noted for its internal drainage system, in which precipitation never reaches an outlet to the sea.

Stretching and uplifting of Earth's crust over the past 17 million years have resulted in a recurrent pattern of valleys and rugged north-south mountain ranges, like those visible in brown around the sandy area.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites flying in the same orbit but 180° apart, to cover all of Earth’s land and coastal waters every five days.

On 5 September 2024, the third satellite in the mission, Sentinel-2C, was launched into orbit to join its siblings and ensure the continuous provision of high-resolution data from the mission.

Less than two weeks after launch, Sentinel-2C has delivered its stunning first images, proving that the satellite is not only working as expected, but has already surpassed expectations.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Northern Territory, Australia
27/09/2024

This image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission reveals the impact of severe flooding following heavy rain that hit Australia’s Northern Territory in March 2024.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, March 2024 was the second wettest March on record for the territory, with rainfall far exceeding the average. To make matters worse, tropical cyclone Megan struck the already drenched area, further exacerbating the situation.

This false-colour radar image combines data from two acquisitions, one from 10 March prior to the rainfall, and one from 22 March after the downpour. Flooded areas are highlighted in red, while dark areas represent permanent water bodies or fields that are frequently submerged.

Tarrabool Lake, the large dark patch in the bottom right, is a seasonal lake whose water level fluctuates. Its swampy wetlands and the nearby tropical forests provide an essential habitat for small mammals, reptiles, and numerous bird species. 

Although fed by various creeks, Creswell Creek, flowing down from the northeast, is its main water source and appears to have overflowed, as did most rivers in the area.

Owing to their importance as a breeding site for waterbirds, Tarrabool Lake and the Eva Downs swamp system are listed as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International, as is Lake Woods, a large ephemeral freshwater wetland, visible as a black patch in the top left corner.

Typically around 350 sq km, Lake Woods can expand significantly during periods of seasonal heavy rainfall, supporting up to 116 000 waterbirds when fully inundated.

Copernicus Sentinel-1’s radar ability to ‘see’ through clouds and rain, and in darkness, makes it particularly useful for monitoring floods. These images can offer immediate information on the extent of inundation, aiding relief efforts. Also, after such events, satellite images are a valuable resource for assessing damage and planning restoration.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Kunshan, China
04/10/2024

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the intricate blend of natural, rural and urban landscapes around Kunshan, a city in eastern China.

Situated in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta region in Jiangsu Province, Kunshan is home to about 1.6 million people. It nestles between the major hubs of Shanghai to the east and Suzhou to the west.

Kunshan covers over 900 sq km of mostly flat terrain. Owing to its low-lying geography, the city has historically been prone to flooding, a challenge exacerbated by rapid urbanisation. In response, Kunshan has implemented a polder system consisting of dikes with waterways managed through gates and pumps.

Zooming into the urban areas, the smaller red buildings typically indicate houses, while larger white and light-blue buildings denote factories and warehouses.

Kunshan is also known for its well-preserved ancient water towns, including Zhouzhuang, the most famous in China. Dating back more than 900 years, Zhouzhuang, at the bottom centre of the image, is known for its ancient houses and scenic waterways.

The city is also dotted with numerous lakes, the largest of which visible in the image include Dianshan Lake, partially visible in the bottom centre, Cheng Lake to its left, and Yangcheng Lake at the city edge in the top left.

Yangcheng Lake is an important freshwater resource for the whole province and is famous for the Chinese mitten crab, which is considered a delicacy. The rectangular crab farming ponds are clear to see in the middle of the lake, while water plants stand out in bright green.

Rivers and forests cover more than a quarter of the city. The Wusong River, visible in light green across the centre of the image, winds through the city, while smaller rivers form a grid-like pattern.

Covering an area of around 15 sq km, Forest Park, an ecological wetland filled with a variety of plants, and Tinglin Park, known for its lush green peak and pristine waters, offer scenic escapes from the urban centre.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Hardap Dam, Namibia
11/10/2024

Resembling a Martian-like surface, this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of the Hardap region in south-central Namibia on the western edge of the Kalahari Desert.

Hardap is a hot and arid region, where groundwater is difficult to obtain. Its name reflects the importance of the Hardap Dam, Namibia’s second largest dam, visible in blue in the centre of the image. The various blue hues denote the presence of sediment in the water.   

With a surface area of 25 sq km, the dam supplies electricity and water to the whole area and the reservoir is home to numerous examples of Namibia’s wildlife.

The dam controls the flow of the Fish River, which can be seen snaking its way across the image. In this false-colour image, captured on 28 August 2024, the Copernicus Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel was used to highlight vegetation in red, which appears mainly concentrated south of the dam along the river.

Agricultural fields can be spotted on the floodplain below the dam, where mainly vegetables and citrus fruits are grown. The different shades of red show the state of the crops: the brighter the red, the healthier is the vegetation.

About 20 km southeast of the dam, on the eastern bank of the river, lies the town of Mariental, the region’s capital. Its urban environment can be seen as a blend of red and grey dots. Near Mariental, the rocky plain of the Central Highland merges with the dry, sandy soil of the western limits of the Kalahari Desert.

The entire western Kalahari is characterised by long chains of sand dunes. Some of these dunes can be seen in shades of yellow in the top-right corner and appear surprisingly parallel and uniform.

On the right side of the image, the landscape is dotted with dry lake beds known as salt pans, seen as gleaming white circles.

Roads can be identified as white lines cutting sharply across the landscape.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
18/10/2024

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Situated in the central region of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh serves as the nation’s legislative, financial, administrative, diplomatic and commercial hub, home to over seven million inhabitants.

Covering an area of around 1550 sq km, the city sits at approximately 600 m above sea level on the eastern part of the Najd plateau in the Arabian Peninsula. Like much of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has a desert climate with extreme summer temperatures that can reach up to 50°C.

The image prominently features the city’s grid-like street system, which consists of square blocks measuring around two km one each side, forming an extensive network across the urban landscape.

Riyadh is served by the King Khalid International Airport, located approximately 35 km north of the city, visible in the top left of the image.

Moving southeast, the flower-like pattern of the Sand Sports Park construction site stands out against the orange, sandy terrain. Spanning more than 17 million sq m, the park is part of the large-scale Sports Boulevard Project, a linear park extending 135 km across the city. The project will connect over 50 sports sites and feature cycling and pedestrian pathways, equestrian and hiking trails, as well as several entertainment venues.

The city also has several large stadiums, including the King Fahd International Stadium, identifiable by its white circular structure, which can be spotted by zooming in south of the Sand Sports Park.

Towards the south, the industrial part of the city can be identified with bright white rooftops.

This image, captured on 14 September 2024, is part of the stunning initial set of images delivered by Copernicus Sentinel-2C, the third satellite in the Sentinel-2 mission. Sentinel-2C joined its twin satellites in orbit on 5 September 2024, to ensure the continuous delivery of high-resolution imagery for the Copernicus programme.

[jacqmans]

Autumn hues captured from space
08/11/2024

The colours of autumn across the western border of North Macedonia and Greece are captured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 27 October 2024.

From the Baba Mountains and the Pelister National Park in North Macedonia to the Verno/Vitsi mountains in northern Greece, the predominant tree species are the European beech at higher altitudes and oak at mid and lower altitudes. The result of this combination is the stunning mix of brown, red and green hues typical of the autumn season. The intensity of colours varies with altitude.

The densely packed rectangles of urban areas and cultivated land stand out in sharp contrast on the eastern side of the mountains.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: ‘Angry husband’ eruption
22/11/2024

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image from 13 November 2024 shows the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano eruption on the island of Flores in southern Indonesia.

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki started spewing ash and smoke on 4 November 2024. It has, so far, killed at least ten people and forced authorities to issue large-scale evacuations. The volcanic ash cloud also caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled. The image clearly depicts the huge plume of ash and smoke spewing from the volcano and drifting westwards.

Laki Laki is one of two adjacent stratovolcanoes on Mount Lewotobi. The volcano summits, which are less than 2 km apart, are known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. Laki Laki means man, while its taller and broader spouse to its southeast is called Perempuan, or woman. While Perempuan has been dormant for decades, Laki Laki is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia.

The country is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits along the 'Ring of Fire', a continuous string of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Ocean.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2’s shortwave infrared channels, that detect heat sources, have been used in the processing of this image to display the activity on the volcano. The lava flowing from the crater is highlighted in orange and red.

Satellite data are an excellent means to monitor eruptions. Once an eruption begins, optical and radar instruments can capture the lava flows, mudslides, ground fissures and earthquakes.

Furthermore, atmospheric sensors can identify and measure the gases and aerosols released by the eruption, follow the spread and movement of volcanic plumes, and help to assess the environmental impact and possible hazards to aviation.

[catdlr]

Although this is a video about radar, it is related to Sentinel and illustrates how many of these images are collected.

How do radar satellites work?

Nov 28, 2024  #ESA #Sentinel #Satellite
Radar allows us to see through what would otherwise be invisible. By sending out radio waves that bounce off objects and return as echoes, radar creates a detailed picture of our surrounding world.

This technology is everywhere: from guiding air traffic and enabling self-driving cars to tracking the movements of athletes. But its reach doesn’t stop there—radar is also transforming how we observe our Earth from space.

Satellites like the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission use radar to see through clouds, darkness and any weather conditions. This capability is invaluable for detecting subtle changes on Earth’s surface—changes that are often hidden from the human eye. Discover how radar technology is helping us unlock these hidden insights about our planet.

Credit: ESA - European Space Agency

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Jakobshavn Glacier, Greenland
13/12/2024

These summer images from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 missions showcase different satellite views of Greenland’s west coast.

The optical Sentinel-2 image on the left, acquired on 5 August 2024, highlights the mouth of the Ilulissat Icefjord, clearly visible in white. This fjord is home to the Jakobshavn Glacier, known as Sermeq Kujalleq in Greenlandic, one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world.

Jakobshavn Glacier drains approximately 6.5% of the Greenland ice sheet and produces around 10% of its icebergs. Many of these icebergs are so large that they become grounded in shallower areas of the fjord, where they remain for years until melting sufficiently to break apart and disperse.

Several icebergs in the image appear as white dots scattered across the fjord, speckling the waters of Disko Bay like stars in the night sky. These towering icebergs, some reaching heights of 100 m above the water, conceal even larger portions beneath the surface. Their shapes, sizes and colours vary greatly. Despite their appearance, some of the largest icebergs pictured here have a perimeter of 2 km.

Just north of the fjord’s mouth lies the small town of Ilulissat, with the town’s airport visible in light brown further north. Ilulissat, which means ‘icebergs’ in Greenlandic, is a popular destination for tourists who come to see the giant icebergs passing near the port.

The radar image on the right, captured on 03 August 2024 by Copernicus Sentinel-1, shows the positions of the giant bergs two days prior to the Sentinel-2 acquisition. By comparing these two images, the movement of the icebergs can be tracked. Their movement depends on various factors, including size, sea depth, currents and wind. In this region, icebergs typically drift northward towards Ilulissat.

Radar missions like Sentinel-1 are remarkably useful in monitoring sea ice, ice sheets and drifting icebergs, particularly in polar regions. Unlike optical imaging, radar can acquire images under any weather conditions, day or night.

On 5 December, Sentinel-1C, the third Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite, was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Along with its sibling Sentinel-1A already in orbit, Sentinel-1C will restore the mission to its full strength as a two-satellite constellation to continue support a diverse range of applications, such as environmental management, disaster response and climate change research.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Star cities
20/12/2024

With the festive season approaching, even Earth-observing satellites are getting into the spirit, capturing a stunning compilation of European cities that resemble stars.

Star-shaped cities are scattered across Europe, their geometric designs most appreciated when viewed from above. The concept of building star-shaped fortresses originated in Italy during the Renaissance, as medieval walls proved ineffective against advances in warfare, particularly gunpowder and cannons. Wide moats and protruding bastions made it harder for enemies to exploit blind spots or breach fortifications.

Four examples of such cities can be seen here, arranged clockwise from the top left: Bourtange in the Netherlands, Palmanova in Italy, Almeida in Portugal, and Neuf-Brisach in France. The green and red hues evoke a Christmas vibe, achieved through different band combinations during image processing to generate true-colour (green) and false-colour (red) visuals.

Bourtange, Netherlands
Located in northeast Netherlands, near the German border, Fort Bourtange was built in 1593 as a military fortification to guard the only road connecting Germany and the city of Groningen. Converted into a village in 1851, it retains its iconic pentagonal shape and geometric street pattern. Today, the entire site serves as a museum, preserving its historical and architectural significance.

Palmanova, Italy
Palmanova, which lies in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built by the Venetians to defend the Republic’s northeast border, it is a quintessential example of a Renaissance star fortress and is one of the largest and best preserved geometric towns. Palmanova’s radial design extends from a central hexagonal square, the ‘Piazza del Duomo’, with concentric rings crossed by straight avenues. This internal area is surrounded by a star-shaped double perimeter of fortifications.

Almeida, Portugal
Situated on a high plain in northeast Portugal, close to the Spanish border, lies the fortress of Almeida. It played a crucial role in defending Portugal’s border during its early years of independence. As seen in the image, its old town is surrounded by striking star-shaped ramparts.

Neuf-Brisach, France
Located in the Alsace region of France near the German border, Neuf-Brisach was built in 1697 on the French side of the Rhine, after the loss of Breisach on the opposite bank. The town’s name ‘Neuf’, meaning new in French, reflects its origins. Designed for both civilian and military use, Neuf-Brisach has a central octagonal layout with streets arranged in a square grid. It is part of the UNESCO listed network of fortifications created by Louis XIV’s famed engineer, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

All images have been acquired using very-high resolution data from missions within ESA’s Third Party Missions programme, which allows the wider scientific community access to high quality commercial data from a wide range of Earth observation satellite missions.

[jacqmans]

Los Angeles ablaze
08/01/2025

Fanned by very strong winds, a wildfire is ripping through the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California. With the city declaring a state of emergency, tens of thousands of people are evacuating as the out-of-control blaze continues to spread rapidly. Officials warn that the situation is likely to worsen.

This image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission vividly depicts the smoke billowing from the fire near Santa Monica at 10:36 local time on 7 January 2025, not long after the fire broke out. The blaze has since caused widespread damage and concern.

The image has been processed as a false colour composite that blends the true colour with shortwave infrared bands of the mission’s multispectral imager.

Two other fires around Los Angeles are also growing fast: the Hurst fire north of San Fernando and the Eaton fire in Altadena.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites, each carrying an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for monitoring changes in Earth’s land and vegetation.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Cyclone Dikeledi
24/01/2025

The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission captured Cyclone Dikeledi south of Madagascar on 16 January, just a few days after it made landfall on Africa’s southeastern coast causing widespread destruction in several countries and islands.

Cyclone Dikeledi originated as a tropical storm between Indonesia and Australia at the start of the year. Since then, it has travelled westwards across the Indian Ocean, gradually increasing in strength to become a cyclone when it first struck northern Madagascar on 11 January.

In the following days, Dikeledi hit other parts of southeastern Africa, including Mozambique, Comoros and Mayotte. The French territory was still recovering from Cyclone Chido, which inflicted significant damage on the region in December.

Earth observation satellites provide indispensable data on events that cover entire regions, as shown here from Copernicus Sentinel-3. The width of the storm in this image is estimated to be around 500 km, while the eye is around 25 km. The mission is designed to measure, monitor and understand global dynamics on a large scale and provides essential information in near-real time for ocean and weather forecasting.

In this image, acquired with the mission’s Ocean and Land Colour Instrument, the cyclone can be seen moving away from the Mozambique Channel, skirting the southern part of Madagascar, which is visible in the top left corner of the image.

Tropical cyclones originate over warm oceans. When they form in the northern hemisphere, they are referred to as hurricanes or typhoons, while those forming in the southern hemisphere are called cyclones.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: São Francisco River, Brazil
31/01/2025

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image highlights part of the São Francisco River in eastern Brazil.

With a course of 2914 km, the São Francisco is the fourth largest river system in South America and the largest river located wholly in Brazil. It is also sometimes called the “river of national unity” because its basin extends across several Brazilian states.

Rising 730 m above sea level in the southwestern state of Minas Gerais, the river flows northerly to the state of Bahia. It then flows to the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties between the states of Alagoas and Sergipe. Several hydroelectric plants along the river’s course provide power throughout northeastern Brazil.

The image shows in light blue the course of the river in northern Bahia, where it forms the extensive Sobradinho Reservoir. A combination of sediment, decomposing plants and the presence of algae and microorganisms give the water its bright hue.

Covering an area of about 4200 sq km, Sobradinho is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, and can hold more than 34 billion cubic metres of water, although its water level varies with seasonal changes.

This false-colour image has been processed using Sentinel-2’s near-infrared channel, which highlights vegetation in red and helps us better distinguish between areas with vegetation and areas without.

We can see where vegetation has been cleared away for logging, farming and land cultivation. Cities, roads and agricultural fields appear in different shades of brown.

A distinctive feature in this image is the area of circles at the bottom centre. These were created by a central-pivot irrigation system, where a long water pipe rotates around a well at the centre of each plot. The varying colours show different types of crop, or different stages of growth.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 is designed to monitor changing lands, including crop type and health. The mission’s frequent revisits over the same area and high spatial resolution also enable close monitoring of changes in inland water bodies.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Heart of Mount St Helens
14/02/2025

For Valentine’s Day, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission picks out a heart in the landscape north of Mount St Helens in the US state of Washington.

Mount St Helens is an active volcano, known for its eruption on 18 May 1980, one of the most destructive volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America. The event killed 57 people and thousands of animals, felling trees over an area of some 500 sq km.

The eruption was caused by an earthquake that led to a massive landslide of the volcano’s north face. The volcano then exploded, depositing widespread ash and melting the mountain’s snow, ice and glaciers that formed a number of volcanic mudslides – or lahars. Some of these lahars are visible in light brown, particularly northwest of the crater.

This false-colour image from January 2025 has been processed using a combination of spectral bands to highlight vegetation in red, while areas with little or no vegetation appear brown, with water bodies dark or black.

The heart-shaped feature surrounded by snow at the centre of the image is Spirit Lake, a popular tourist destination for many years until the eruption.

Before the catastrophic event, Spirit Lake was a typical alpine lake, surrounded by dense forests. The landslide and the eruption displaced the lake, raising its surface level by about 60 m and reshaping its basin. Thousands of trees were blasted into the lake, forming a dense floating log mat, which is still visible in the image as a lighter, brown area.

The lake’s drainage system was compromised, so a new tunnel had to be built to prevent uncontrolled flooding. Once the new water level stabilised, it created the current heart-like outline.

In the lower-central part of the image, the rectangular areas show land division, possibly for timber processing, with the brown areas showing where trees have been cleared. We can see how the white snow cover ends in these areas, as the elevation drops.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Maha Kumbh Mela festival, India
28/02/2025

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured the Maha Kumbh Mela festival, the world’s largest human gathering, which took place in the city of Prayagraj in northern India.

Recognised by Unesco in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Kumbh Mela is a Hindu pilgrimage held every few years, attracting tens of millions of pilgrims from India and across the globe. The event this year was held from 13 January to 26 February.

Four sacred cities take it in turn to host the festival, where pilgrims come to bathe in a cleansing ritual. In 2025 it was a Maha (Great) Kumbh Mela, which occurs only every 144 years, making it even more significant.

The images in the slider show the area at the confluence of the Ganges with the Yamuna river near Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad. The image on the left was captured on 13 December 2024, one month before the beginning of the festival, while the image on the right was taken on 27 January 2025, during the festival, and clearly shows the extent of the temporary structures built for the event.

A vast area covering more than 40 sq km along the banks of the Ganges river was converted into a sprawling tent city, with housing, electricity, drinking water, parking lots, around 150 000 toilets and 11 hospitals. A series of floating bridges are also visible in the river, connecting the two banks of the Ganges.

The name Kumbh Mela translates to ‘Festival of the Sacred Pitcher’ in Sanskrit, where Kumbh refers to the pitcher or pot that contained the nectar of immortality in Hindu mythology, and Mela means fair or gathering. Hindus believe that drops of the nectar fell on the four sacred cities that now host the pilgrimage.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Waza National Park, Cameroon
28/03/2025


The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures the striking landscape surrounding the Waza National Park in Cameroon.

The Waza National Park lies in the most northern region of Cameroon extending between Chad to the east, and Nigeria in the west. The park, which covers an area of 1700 sq km, is only about 10 km from the border of each country.

Here, the Waza National Park is on the left side of the green area at the bottom of the image. It is the country’s most diverse wildlife reserve and is home to lions, elephants, giraffes, antelopes and numerous species of birds. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage biosphere reserve in 1979.

At its western perimeter lies the town of Waza, visible as a small, yellowish area flanked by green land on two sides.

The vast, green zone surrounding the park is the Logone floodplain, one of the numerous floodplains within the Lake Chad basin. The lush green in the image is the result of seasonal flooding of the Logone River, appearing as a winding brown line to the east of the plain, and flowing along the border between Cameroon and Chad.

The ecosystem of this territory is shaped by the cycle of dry and wet seasons. During rainy season, which lasts from mid-May to mid-October, the region is inundated, becoming a temporary wetland that sustains grasses, reeds and seasonal water bodies.

More than 100 000 people live in the area and rely on the timing and the extent of the flood for fishing, grazing and agriculture. Patches of agricultural fields are visible in the image, with the largest at the bottom, left of the Logone River.

This image was acquired in November 2024, when the floodwaters usually start receding, leaving the area green and fertile. Evidence of the coming dry season is already visible: while the park conserves natural vegetation, nearby lands shift towards post-harvest stubble or fallow fields, appearing in brown hues.

On the right, the Chari River, Lake Chad’s principal tributary, appears green. It joins the Logone River to the north, before eventually flowing into Lake Chad (not pictured) further north. At the confluence between Chari and Logone lies N’Djamena, the capital city of Chad, visible as a large grey area at the top of the image.

[jacqmans]

Earth from Space: Great Barrier Reef, Australia
11/04/2025

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of one of the world’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef extends for nearly 2300 km and covers an area of more than 344 000 sq km, approximately the size of Italy. It is the largest living organism on Earth and the only living thing the naked eye can see from space.

Despite its name, the Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef, but an interlinked system of about 3000 reefs and 900 coral islands, divided by narrow passages. An area of biodiversity equal in importance to tropical rainforests, the reef hosts more than 1500 species of tropical fish, 400 types of coral, hundreds of species of bird and seaweed and thousands of marine animals, including sharks, barracuda and turtles.

In recognition of its significance the reef was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

The section of reef seen here is the southern part off the coast of the Shire of Livingstone in Central Queensland. Part of the mainland and the islands surrounding the coast are visible in the bottom left corner. The tan-coloured sea along the coasts is due to sediment in the water.

A chain of small coral islands can be seen scattered across the centre of the image. The blue hues of the coral contrast with the dark waters of the Coral Sea.

Part of the reef is covered by clouds dominating the upper part of the image. The clouds form a surprisingly straight line, also visible as a distinct shadow cast over the islands below.

Coral reefs worldwide suffer regular damage due to climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and fishing. Furthermore, they are increasingly under threat from coral bleaching, which occurs when the algae that makes up the coral die, causing it to turn white. This phenomenon is associated with increased water temperatures, low salinity and high sunlight levels.

While these coral reefs are ecologically important, they are difficult to map from survey vessels or aircraft because of their remote and shallow location. From their vantage point in space, Earth-observing satellites such as Copernicus Sentinel-2, offer the means to monitor the health of reefs across the globe.