Earth from space: 'Lake of clouds' appears between volcanic

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Kol ‘tsevoye Lake is sandwiched in between both halves of the Krenitsyna Volcano on Russia’s Onekotan Island. In this astronaut image, it seems loaded with clouds– however this is simply an impression.
(Image credit: NASA/ISS Program )

FAST FACTS

Where is it? Onekotan Island, northwest Pacific Ocean [49.35544352, 154.7164388]

What’s in the picture? Clouds showing off the mirror-like surface area of a crater lake in between 2 halves of a volcano

Who took the picture? An unnamed astronaut on the International Space Station(ISS)

When was it taken? Aug. 19, 2023

This striking astronaut picture reveals among Russia’s inmost lakes sandwiched in between 2 halves of a volcano as its surface area was changed into a reflective sea of swirling clouds thanks to an uncommon mirror-like phenomenon, referred to as “sunglint.”

The volcanic “nesting dolls,” jointly called the Krenitsyna Volcano, lie on the southern suggestion of Onekotan Island in the Kuril Islands– a Russian island chain situated in the Pacific Ocean in between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Hokkaido, the second-largest and northern most island in Japan.

The volcano has 2 primary parts: The big lake-filled, crater-like anxiety, referred to as the Tsar-Rusyr caldera, which covers as much as 5 miles( 8 kilometers)throughout; and the cone-shape mountain that increases out of the water, referred to as the Krenitsyna Peak, which reaches roughly 4,200 feet(1,300 meters)above water level. This uncommon setup is the outcome of the volcano collapsing in on itself, before a brand-new peak matured out of the active residue.

The crater lake that sits within the Tsar-Rusyr caldera and surrounds Krenitsyna Peak is referred to as Kol’tsevoye Lake. It is 1,200 feet (370 m) deep, making it among the inmost lakes in Russia, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory

Related: See all the very best pictures of Earth from area

The Krenitsyna Peak increases out of the deep waters of Kol’tsevoye Lake, which in turn beings in the much bigger Tsar-Rusyr caldera.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sunglint result

In the astronaut picture, Kol’tsevoye Lake appears it has actually been covered by low-lying clouds sitting at the bottom of the caldera. There are no clouds in this image. Rather, what you can see is clouds passing high over the island that have actually been shown off the water’s surface area.

Typically, a basic reflection would not be strong enough to make the clouds look so genuine. In this case, the orientation of the sun relative to the ISS implies that the sun’s complete beam is being shown directly back at the astronaut taking the picture, producing a result understood as sunglint, which changes a big body of water into a huge silver mirrorThe caldera’s rim stands approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) above the lake’s surface area, producing shadows that assist to emphasize the cloudy impression.

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Onekotan Island is home to 2 nesting volcanos: Krenitsyns Volcano in the south (bottom of image)and Nemo Volcano in the north(top of image). (Image credit: NASA Space Shuttle Program)

The clouds are still just noticeable since the astronaut is placed above the volcano at an angle that permits them to see the sunglint without being best on top of the island, which would indicate the clouds would obstruct their view of the lake.

The Krenitsyna Volcano is still active and last emerged in 1952 with a “moderate” outburst that lasted for around a week, according to the Smithsonian Institute’s International Volcanism ProgramIts last significant eruption was most likely around 7,600 years earlier.

Remarkably, another set of volcanic nesting dolls with its own crater lake, jointly called the Nemo Volcano, is placed on the northern end of Onekotan Island. In this case, the lake does not surround the peak that has actually grown out of this collapsed caldera.

Harry is a U.K.-based senior personnel author at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to end up being a reporter. He covers a large range of subjects consisting of area expedition, planetary science, area weather condition, environment modification, animal habits and paleontology. His current deal with the solar optimum won “best space submission” at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the “top scoop” classification at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He likewise composes Live Science’s weekly Earth from area series.