NASA astronaut Jessica Meir snapped a striking photo of a river snaking through the Amazon rainforest from space.
What is it?
The Ucayali River in central Peru was captured in a new image by Meir while aboard the International Space Station.
The Ucayali, a lower extension of the Apurímac River, is thought to be one of the main sources of the Amazon River. More than 1,600 miles (2,700 kilometers) long, the Ucayali is home to a diverse indigenous population and an amazing variety of plants and animals.
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Pink dolphins swim through this river which is home to wildlife ranging from manatees to taricaya turtles, jaguars, giant river otters, catfish and a variety of monkeys, reptiles and birds.
Meir snapped this photo from the space station, which she reached via Crew-12, a SpaceX mission that launched this past February. The four Crew-12 astronauts were welcomed to the station by the Expedition 74 crew and will continue to conduct research throughout the duration of their roughly eight-month stay.
Why is it incredible?
For all of its natural splendor and incredible biodiversity, this river, the surrounding region, and the people living there continue to be impacted by illegal logging and commercial fishing. And this area is no stranger to exploitation; it was a hot spot during the rubber boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The photo by Meir is visually stunning. It shows the river like a swirling ribbon across Earth’s face. But it also reminds us of the incredible power of being able to see Earth from space.
This vantage point is more than aesthetics, and photographs like this as well as satellite imagery of Earth help us to better understand the progress of things like deforestation and climate change.