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QUICK FACTS
The place is it? Boykin, Alabama [32.10219570, -87.28911406]
What’s within the picture? A “sunglint” making the Alabama River appear to be a golden Chinese language dragon
Who took the picture? An unnamed astronaut on board the Worldwide House Station (ISS)
When was it taken? June 26, 2023
This unbelievable astronaut picture captured a novel glimpse of Alabama’s eponymous river cosplaying as a golden Chinese language dragon. The metallic hue of the serpentine waterway is the results of a uncommon optical phenomenon that’s solely seen from area.
The part of the river within the picture options a big U-shaped bend, generally known as Gee’s Bend, that surrounds the small city of Boykin, which is famend for its “vibrant folks artwork” that’s displayed throughout the nation, in line with NASA’s Earth Observatory.
The river’s uncommon glow is the results of a uncommon phenomenon, generally known as a sunglint, which happens when daylight completely displays off a nonetheless physique of water towards an observer in area, like a large liquid mirror. That is much like how the floor of an ocean or lake sparkles when mild bounces off it throughout a sundown — besides the one individuals who can see it are astronauts.
The golden shade of the sunglint helps present better distinction between water and land, highlighting a collection of flooded zones. When mixed with the river’s bigger bends, this makes the waterway look surprisingly like a dragon from Chinese language mythology, netizens identified on the time.
The pinnacle of the dragon (positioned on the left of the picture) is represented by the flooded zones of the synthetic William “Invoice” Dannelly Reservoir, which was created within the Nineteen Sixties by partially damming the river. This 27-square-mile (70 sq. kilometers) reservoir generates hydroelectric energy through a dam and has additionally grow to be a well-liked fishing spot for individuals trying to catch crappie, bass and catfish.
The river’s water ranges rose larger than initially anticipated following the dam’s building, inflicting the waterway to completely spill over into surrounding floodplains, resembling at Chilatchee Creek (in direction of the bend within the dragon’s tail) and round Gee’s Bend, in line with Earth Observatory.
Most our bodies of water often tackle a silvery, mirror-like look when illuminated by sunglints, making the Alabama River’s golden glow notably noteworthy.
The bizarre golden shade is probably going the results of atmospheric scattering of the mirrored mild by aerosols, mud and haze. This scatters blue wavelengths of sunshine, giving the remaining mild a extra yellow hue.
Astronauts are all the time looking out for sunglints, particularly over the ocean, as a result of they’ll reveal hidden pure phenomena, resembling gyres and inside waves, in addition to human actions, resembling ship wakes and oil slicks, in line with the Nationwide Environmental Satellite tv for pc, Knowledge, and Info Service.
For extra unbelievable satellite tv for pc pictures and astronaut pictures, take a look at our Earth from area archives.
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