Iles Chesterfield in the Coral Sea

The underwater reefs around the Iles Chesterfield are easier to spot in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) than the islands themselves. Tan slivers of land are barely visible in the image, but the underwater coral reflects light, making the ocean glow a brilliant blue. The islands are part of New Caledonia, a French territory, and are located roughly 1,000 kilometers northwest of Australia in the Coral Sea. MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on October 7, 2004.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published October 8, 2004
Data acquired October 7, 2004

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

Collection:

Visible Earth