This detailed photograph, taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, shows one of the numerous atolls in the Maldive Islands. The Maldives are an island nation comprised of 26 atolls that stretch in a north-south chain for almost 560 miles southwest of India. The silvery, almost pink sheen on the normally blue water of the equatorial Indian Ocean in the image is the result of sunglint. Sunglint occurs when sunlight is reflected off water like a mirror, directly back towards the observer. The largest island seen here (centre) is four miles long and is one of the outer ring of larger islands that make up the 40-mile long, oval-shaped Male Atoll. Shores facing deeper water have well-defined beaches. A small boat was navigating between the islets at the time the image was taken, as indicated by its v-shaped wake at top right in the image.
Photograph: ISS/Nasa
The Guardian
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