QUICK FACTSWhere is it? Onekotan Island, northwest Pacific Ocean [49.35544352, 154.7164388]What is within the photograph? Clouds reflecting off the mirror-like floor of a crater lake between two halves of a volcanoWho took the photograph? An unnamed astronaut at the Global Area Station (ISS)When used to be it taken? Aug. 19, 2023This putting astronaut photograph presentations one among Russia’s inner most lakes sandwiched between two halves of a volcano as its floor used to be reworked right into a reflective sea of swirling clouds because of an extraordinary mirror-like phenomenon, referred to as “sunglint.”The volcanic “nesting dolls,” jointly referred to as the Krenitsyna Volcano, are positioned at the southern tip of Onekotan Island within the Kuril Islands — a Russian archipelago positioned within the Pacific Ocean between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido, the second-largest and northernmost island in Japan.The volcano has two primary portions: The huge lake-filled, crater-like melancholy, referred to as the Tsar-Rusyr caldera, which spans as much as 5 miles (8 kilometers) throughout; and the cone-shape mountain that rises out of the water, referred to as the Krenitsyna Top, which reaches roughly 4,200 ft (1,300 meters) above sea degree. This atypical configuration is the results of the volcano collapsing in on itself, sooner than a brand new height grew up out of the energetic remnant.The crater lake that sits throughout the Tsar-Rusyr caldera and surrounds Krenitsyna Top is referred to as Kol’tsevoye Lake. It’s 1,200 ft (370 m) deep, making it some of the inner most lakes in Russia, consistent with NASA’s Earth Observatory.Comparable: See all of the absolute best pictures of Earth from area
The Krenitsyna Top rises out of the deep waters of Kol’tsevoye Lake, which in flip sits within the a lot greater Tsar-Rusyr caldera. (Symbol credit score: Getty Photographs)Sunglint effectIn the astronaut photograph, Kol’tsevoye Lake looks like it’s been lined via low-lying clouds sitting on the backside of the caldera. Alternatively, there aren’t any clouds on this symbol. As a substitute, what you’ll see is clouds passing prime over the island which were mirrored off the water’s floor.Typically, a normal mirrored image would no longer be robust sufficient to make the clouds glance so actual. However on this case, the orientation of the solar relative to the ISS implies that the solar’s complete beam is being mirrored immediately again on the astronaut taking the photograph, developing an impact referred to as sunglint, which transforms a big frame of water into an enormous silver replicate. The caldera’s rim stands kind of 1,000 ft (300 m) above the lake’s floor, developing shadows that assist to intensify the cloudy phantasm.Get the sector’s most enticing discoveries delivered immediately for your inbox.
Onekotan Island is house to 2 nesting volcanos: Krenitsyns Volcano within the south (backside of symbol) and Nemo Volcano within the north (most sensible of symbol). (Symbol credit score: NASA Area Travel Program)Alternatively, the clouds are nonetheless most effective visual for the reason that astronaut is situated above the volcano at an attitude that lets them see the sunglint with out being proper on most sensible of the island, which might imply the clouds would block their view of the lake.The Krenitsyna Volcano continues to be energetic and remaining erupted in 1952 with a “average” outburst that lasted for round per week, consistent with the Smithsonian Institute’s World Volcanism Program. However its remaining primary eruption used to be most probably round 7,600 years in the past.Curiously, some other set of volcanic nesting dolls with its personal crater lake, jointly referred to as the Nemo Volcano, is situated at the northern finish of Onekotan Island. Alternatively, on this case, the lake does no longer encompass the height that has grown out of this collapsed caldera.
