February 28, 2014 - Enderby Land, Antarctica

Enderby Land, Antarctica

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite flew over Antarctica on February 19, 2014 and captured this true-color image of Enderby Land. Snow and ice over the landmass, located at the bottom of the image, appears bright white. Sea ice appears as a lightly tinted blue-white color, especially in the curling filigrees in floating in the Southern Ocean. Open water is a deep inky blue, while the clouds at the top of the image appear a dull white.

Enderby Land varies from a barren, ice-capped plateau in the interior, with rugged peaks along the coast. The coastal Napier Mountains rise over 7,400 feet (2,260 m). Despite the height, many peaks project no more than a few hundred meters from the ice.

The land stretches from William Scoresby Bay to Shinnan Glacier, and has been claimed as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory. It was discovered in 1831 by John Briscoe sailing in the whaling brig Tula, and named after the owners of the ship, the Enderby Brothers of London.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 2/19/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC