This image shows northwestern Crete, the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. It is a compilation of three radar images from Japan’s ALOS satellite acquired on 28 August 2010, 13 October 2010 and the third band created by combining the other two. In the lower-right, the bright cluster of radar reflections on the northern coast is the city of Chania, the island’s second largest city after Heraklion (not pictured). At the center of the image is the Rodopou Peninsula. Off the coast of the other peninsula to the left there are two small islands: Imeri Gramvousa to the south and Agria Gramvousa due north.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Image credit: JAXA, ESA
Macquarie Island lies halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica, and is part of Tasmania. Accidentally discovered in 1810, the island was used by sealers and as a base for Antarctic expeditions. In 1933 the island was declared a wildlife sanctuary, and in 1997 listed as a World Heritage Site. Birdlife International identified Macquarie as an Important Bird Area because it supports 3.5 million breeding seabirds of 13 species, including 5 breeds of penguins. The image is located at 54.6 degrees south latitude, 159 degrees east longitude, covers an area of 10 by 36 km, and was acquired January 9, 2011.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Istanbul and the surrounding area in northwestern Turkey are captured in this image acquired by Envisat’s MERIS instrument on 9 June 2011. To the north is the Black Sea, which connects to the Sea of Marmara (center) via the Bosphorus strait. The Dardanelles strait connects the Marmara to the Aegean Sea (lower left corner). Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, is near the center of the image at the Bosphorus strait. Istanbul straddles two continents (Europe and Asia), making it a true meeting place of the East and the West.
Turkey’s location makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, with the 1000 km-long North Anatolian fault just 15 km south of Istanbul. Because earthquakes can suddenly render current maps out of date, satellite images are useful for updating views of how the landscape has been affected as well as creating reference cartography for emergency operations. In addition, before and after satellite images of the area enable authoritative damage assessment as a basis for planning remedial action.
Photo credit: ESA
Korea’s Kompsat-2 satellite captured this image over the sand seas of the Namib Desert on 7 January 2012. The blue and white area is the dry river bed of the Tsauchab. Black dots of vegetation are concentrated close to the river’s main route, while salt deposits appear bright white. Running through the river valley, a road connects Sossusvlei to the Sesriem settlement. At the road’s 45th kilometer, seen at the lower-central part of the image, a white path shoots off and ends at a circular parking area at the base of a dune. This is Dune 45, a popular tourist stop on the way to and from Sossusvlei. In this image, there appears to be some shadow on the western side. From this we can deduce that the image was acquired during the late morning.
ESA supports Kompsat as a Third Party Mission, meaning it uses its ground infrastructure and expertise to acquire, process and distribute data to users.
This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.
Photo credit: KARI/ESA
