NASA has shared a set of two pictures of Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island. The photos were captured by Landsat 9, which was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US, in 2021.
In the photos shared on Instagram, we get an aerial view of the remote island. In the first satellite image, we can see three islands in a triangle formation in the deep blue ocean. “The islands are mostly dark green. The larger island is toward the top right corner and has a white peak,” the description read.
In the next pic, which is a close-up shot of Tristan da Cunha, NASA has also highlighted an area on the island as “Queen Mary's Peak”. There is also a location tag on “Edinburg Of the Seven Seas”.
“The island is mostly circular with irregular edges. The peak is white. Below the peak, the landscape is light green and fades to darker green as it reaches the base. Dark blue ocean surrounds the island,” it added.
Along with the photos, NASA has shared a detailed note about Tristan da Cunha. The US Space Agency said that the island is situated approximately halfway between the southern tips of South America and Africa.
“Tristan da Cunha, often said to be the most remote inhabited island in the world, is the sort of place where seabirds outnumber people. It is part of an island group in the South Atlantic Ocean situated approximately halfway between the southern tips of South America and Africa.”
The agency added, “Offshore, underwater forests of giant kelp surround the islands. The kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is one of the fastest-growing seaweeds on the planet. Though suspended sediment may be discolouring the water in some areas, signs of kelp forests (green) are visible in several areas immediately offshore.”
NASA added that the pictures taken by Landsat “have been used to locate the forests and plan underwater surveys.” The agency also mentioned that the photos are from May last year.
