New Zealand

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Sunday, 13 July 2008, 10:21 CDT Download full size image

The MODIS on the Terra satellite captured this stunning image of New Zealand on July 8, 2008. Both the North and South Islands are visible beneath the cloud cover, and both islands are surrounded by a green glow in the waters. The green coloration is due to phytoplankton, which are microscopic ocean plants.

The Southern Alps, the range that divides the South Island, are covered with snow. July is, after all, part of the Southern Hemisphere's winter season. Though the South Island is the bigger of the two, it contains only one quarter of New Zealand's population.

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