In addition to posing scientific challenges and opportunities, sunglint makes for some spectacular satellite images.
Published Sep 11, 2014
Sunlight traces the mouth of one of Asia’s great rivers—a major artery for commercial and sediment transport.
Published May 19, 2019
The combination of sunlight, islands, and wind painted this scene on the surface of the Caribbean Sea.
Published Apr 19, 2014
The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is the largest in Texas, with an approximate population of 6 million people in 2005.
Published Jul 25, 2005
An astronaut photographed the interplay of light and wind on South America’s largest lake.
Published Jan 9, 2017
Bathed in sunlight reflecting on the water, the Massachusetts coast and islands are the focus of this astronaut photograph.
Published Aug 1, 2011
The play of sunlight on water gives definition to the jagged coastlines of Sardinia and Corsica.
Published Jun 14, 2020
Reflected sunlight highlights the Atlantic Ocean, Buzzards Bay, and Long Island Sound in this photo from the space station.
Published Feb 25, 2013
The complex patterns are due to waves, winds, the presence of oils or surfactants, and the presence of boats and drilling platforms.
Published Aug 25, 2019
Light reflecting off the waters around Crete indicates a smooth, mirror-like surface.
Published Jul 6, 2017
Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, the Finger Lakes of New York, and numerous other bodies of water are brilliantly lit by sunglint in this astronaut photograph.
Published Jul 22, 2012
Sunglint shows textures and patterns on the surface of the ocean that would otherwise be invisible.
Published Aug 9, 2013
Sunglint results when the Sun’s light bounces off the water’s surface and into the satellite sensor or camera. In this astronaut photograph, taken near noon on May 28th, 2006, sunglint highlights features on the surface of Lake Erie, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Cleveland, Ohio. The angular water bodies along the river are likely marinas. The main part of the image shows numerous ship wakes in the zone of partial glint around the disk of the Sun’s reflection point. The wakes radiate from the mouth of the Vermilion River, with many of them heading northwest (towards the lower-right corner) in the direction of Detroit, Michigan.
Published Jun 12, 2006
This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 30, 2009, shows the Timor Sea and what are probably oil slicks about 250 kilometers northwest of Western Australia.
Published Sep 2, 2009
