Towing the Costa Concordia

This Sentinel-1A image was acquired on 26 July 2014 over the coast of northwestern Italy while the Costa Concordia cruise ship (enlarged) was being towed towards the city of Genoa.

The ship capsized near the island of Giglio in January 2012. Following more than two years of salvage operations, the ship began its final journey under tow on 23 July 2014, arriving at the port of Genoa four days later.

During and after the towing, satellite radar images – such as the one here – were analyzed, with the technical support of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. This was done for scientific research purposes to assess the Sentinel-1A and other satellite radar images for pollution and ship traffic.

Sentinel-1A is the first satellite launched for Europe’s Copernicus environment monitoring program. Surveillance of the marine environment, including oil-spill monitoring and ship detection, is one of the mission’s main tasks. Although Sentinel-1A is still being commissioned to prepare for routine operations, early images like this demonstrate the value of its radar vision.

The Copernicus program also supported recovery operations of the Costa Concordia. Learn more.

Image credit: ESA

Cal Madow Mountain Range, Somalia

Northern Somalia’s Cal Madow mountain range is pictured in this image from Japan’s ALOS satellite.

In contrast to the sparsely-vegetated majority of the country – typical of its semi-arid to arid climate – the mountain range is densely forested. In this image, the vegetated areas appear much darker.

The ecologically diverse region is home to a number of endemic plants species, as well as many rare animals. Unfortunately, the area lacks proper conservation and is threatened by deforestation and intensive livestock grazing.

The uplifted plateau to the south has the distinct pattern of water erosion from rivers and streams making their way towards the edges of the cliffs, before cascading down. There are numerous perennial and persistent waterfalls in this region.

In some areas, we can see where water continues to flow north across the coastal plain towards the Gulf of Aden (not pictured).

The Japanese Advanced Land Observation Satellite captured this image on 2 January 2011. ALOS was supported as a Third Party Mission, which means that ESA used its multi-mission ground systems to acquire, process, distribute and archive data from the satellite to its user community.

In April 2011 the satellite abruptly lost power while mapping Japan’s tsunami-hit coastline.

This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.

Image credit: JAXA/ESA

Flooding in Ningming, China by Typhoon Rammasun

Floodwaters caused by Typhoon Rammasun started to recede in northern Vietnam and southern China, but not before causing widespread flooding in cities and villages, triggering landslides and collapsed buildings in addition to the flooding. This ASTER image of Ningming, China shows sediment-laden river water and the flooded areas of the city in brown. The image was acquired July 24, 2014, covers an area of 9.4 by 13.8 kilometers, and is located at 22.1 degrees north, 107.1 degrees east.

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Note: For more information, see PIA18628: NASA Spacecraft Eyes China Flooding.

Drought in the Sierra Nevadas

The effects of California's severe multiyear drought can be clearly seen in this pair of images acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. The images show an area northeast of Madera, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains foothills between Yosemite National Park and the San Joaquin Valley. The right image was acquired April 5, 2011, when winter rainfall was at a normal level. H.V. Eastman and Hensley Lakes, and numerous stock tanks, are full, and green vegetation carpets the landscape. Three years later, when the left image was acquired on May 15, 2014, the drying up of the reservoirs is apparent, as is the browning of the grass- and shrub-lands. The images cover an area of 12.1 by 14 miles (19.5 by 22.5 kilometers), and are located at 37.2 degrees north, 119.9 degrees west.

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Mexico City

This week’s satellite image was acquired over the eastern part of Mexico City.

The area pictured lies within central Mexico’s highlands plateau called the Valley of Mexico. This valley was originally covered by the waters of Lake Texcoco but over the centuries the water has been drained. The area that has not been built up is today used for hydraulic management and is made up of reservoirs and ponds such as the large, dark Nabor Carrillo lake pictured here.

The area receives more than 100,000 migratory birds each year that travel through the Central Migratory Flyway, and is a key resting, feeding and breeding ground for several species of shorebirds.

In contrast to the open space of the former Lake Texcoco, Mexico City is a densely populated metropolitan area (left and bottom).

We can see the runways of the international airport on the far left. South of the airport is the Alameda Oriente recreational park with its somewhat spiral artificial lake. North of the airport, El Bosque de San Juan de Aragón is another park and important green area.

City parks play a large role in the city’s effort to alleviate air pollution. In the early 1990s, pollution was believed to cause hundreds of deaths each year. Air quality has improved in recent decades through a series of government efforts to cut emissions.

This image, acquired by Korea’s Kompsat-2 satellite on 21 December 2012, is also featured on the Earth from Space video program.

Image credit: KARI/ESA

Baektu Mountain, China-North Korea

Baektu Mountain is an active volcano on the border between North Korea and China. Rising to 2744 m, its summit caldera is filled with a crater lake, Heaven Lake. The crater was created by a colossal eruption in 970, spreading volcanic ash as far as northern Japan. Its last eruption was in 1903. The image was acquired August 19, 2003, and is located at 42 degrees north, 128 degrees east.

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay

Guanabara Bay in southeast Brazil is pictured in this image from the Sentinel-1A satellite.

The city of Rio de Janeiro lies on the western banks of the bay and along the Atlantic coast to the south. Rio is connected to the city of Niterói on the east side of the bay by a large bridge which appears as a dotted straight line. To the north, we can see radar reflections from large ships.

Governador is the largest island in Guanabara Bay, and the site of Rio de Janeiro’s main airport. The runways appear as dark lines.

Part of Rio de Janeiro was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 under the category of ‘cultural landscapes’. The Tijuca National Park – the mountainous area in the lower-left – is a hand-planted rainforest covering more than 30 sq km. The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer stands at the eastern end of the forest, overlooking the city from the peak of the 700 m-high Corcovado mountain.

Zooming in above the mountains, the two circular structures are large stadiums. The one to the right is Estádio do Maracanã, where the final match of this year’s World Cup will take place on Sunday.

At the bottom-center part of the image, the curved coast of the famous Copacabana is visible, while Sugarloaf mountain sits at the mouth of the bay.

This image, also featured on the Earth from Space video program, was acquired on 13 May by Sentinel-1A’s radar working in 'dual polarization'. The radar gathers information in either horizontal or vertical radar pulses, and colors were assigned to the different types.

Image credit: ESA

Mount Pinatubo, Philippines

This image from the Sentinel-1A radar satellite on 6 June shows part of the Philippine island of Luzon with Mount Pinatubo.

This active volcano experienced a major eruption on 15 June 1991 that injected more particulate matter into the atmosphere than any eruption since Krakatoa in 1883. In the months following, aerosols formed a layer of sulphuric acid haze around the globe, ozone depletion increased and global temperatures dropped by about 0.5°C.

In the upper-central part of the image, the dark area is Lake Pinatubo, which formed in the summit crater after the 1991 eruption. The water level has been rapidly increasing since its formation, putting pressure on the crater walls, which threaten to collapse and cause flash floods. The Philippine government has taken measures to alleviate the pressure with controlled draining.

South of Lake Pinatubo near the center of the image is Mapanuepe Lake, which also formed as a result of the 1991 eruption. When mud mixed with water and volcanic rock fragments flowed down from Pinatubo, it blocked the drainage of the river. The valley – including the settlements – was inundated. These mud and volcanic debris flows are still visible reaching west towards the South China Sea.

Other features visible in this image include the bright radar reflections from a shipyard on the Subic Bay to the south, and the vast expanse of aquaculture on the edge of Manila Bay in the lower-right corner.

Sentinel-1A was launched on 3 April, and is the first in a fleet of Sentinel satellites developed for Europe’s Copernicus environment monitoring program. Although the satellite is still being commissioned, images like this early example illustrate the kind of data the mission will provide.

This image is featured on the Earth from Space video program.

Image credit: ESA

Hurricane Arthur

Hurricane Arthur skirting the east coast of the United States. Photographed from the International Space Station and shared by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst on Twitter.

Alexander Gerst is currently a member of the resident International Space Station Expedition 40 crew. He is spending five and a half months living and working on the ISS for his Blue Dot mission.

Photo credit: ESA/NASA

Tierra del Fuego

From 400 km above Earth ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this picture of South America as the International Space Station flew by at 28 800 km/h.

The orbital outpost flies over the planet between latitudes 52ºN/S, reaching from the tip of South America to the UK.

Image credit: ESA/NASA