Images
November 10, 2025 - The Pyrenees
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On November 4, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Pyrenees, an iconic mountain range in southwest Europe.
The Pyrenees stretch 430 kilometers (270 miles) from the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, acting as a natural border between France (north) and Spain (southwest) with the small, landlocked country of Andorra sandwiched in between. The central portion of the Pyrenees includes the highest summits of the range, with a maximum elevation of 3,404 meters (11,168 feet). It is also home to several small glaciers, most of which have been losing as much as 40 percent of their mass over the past two decades, according to a scientific study published in the journal Nature in February 2025.
This autumn image of the mountains reveals very little snow across the peaks, along with patches of reds, orange, and yellow typical of the bright colors of the changing hues of leaves of deciduous trees. The surrounding valleys carry swaths of the yellows that often mark agricultural fields as crops fade in the fall.
The lack of snow is a result of a summer filled with exceptionally warm temperatures, and a warm start to November. Local news reported that, on November 5, air temperatures in portions of the foothills in France still hovered near 27°C (80°F). Fortunately, snow began to fall on November 8, bringing the first substantial snowfall for the 2025-2026 winter season, with satellite imagery showing a bounteous layer of fresh snow atop the high peaks on November 9.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/4/2025
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On November 4, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Pyrenees, an iconic mountain range in southwest Europe.
The Pyrenees stretch 430 kilometers (270 miles) from the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, acting as a natural border between France (north) and Spain (southwest) with the small, landlocked country of Andorra sandwiched in between. The central portion of the Pyrenees includes the highest summits of the range, with a maximum elevation of 3,404 meters (11,168 feet). It is also home to several small glaciers, most of which have been losing as much as 40 percent of their mass over the past two decades, according to a scientific study published in the journal Nature in February 2025.
This autumn image of the mountains reveals very little snow across the peaks, along with patches of reds, orange, and yellow typical of the bright colors of the changing hues of leaves of deciduous trees. The surrounding valleys carry swaths of the yellows that often mark agricultural fields as crops fade in the fall.
The lack of snow is a result of a summer filled with exceptionally warm temperatures, and a warm start to November. Local news reported that, on November 5, air temperatures in portions of the foothills in France still hovered near 27°C (80°F). Fortunately, snow began to fall on November 8, bringing the first substantial snowfall for the 2025-2026 winter season, with satellite imagery showing a bounteous layer of fresh snow atop the high peaks on November 9.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/4/2025
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
