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December 29, 2025 - Summer in Antarctica
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Antarctica has been called the coldest, highest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth—and accurately so. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) notes that the world record lowest temperature is from the remote Antarctic station, Vostok, where the temperature has dropped to -89°C (-128.2°F). The continent is capped by an inland ice sheet, up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) thick, which is estimated to contain approximately 90 percent of Earth’s total surface fresh water. The BAS reminds us that, despite the abundant but frozen water, Antarctica is classified as a cold desert and receives the snowfall equivalent to only 150 mm (5.9 inches) of rain each year.
On December 22, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of Antarctica on the first full day of summer. Fast ice clings to the continental edges while swirls of sea ice float freely around Antarctica. Two large ice shelves can easily be identified in this image, both in West Antarctica. The Ross Ice Shelf sits near the bottom of the image while the Ronne Ice Shelf stretches between the Antarctic Peninsula, in the upper left, and the Weddell Sea.
The lines that cross the continent are artifacts created by blending several MODIS images together to create a full view of Antarctica. This type of image, which blends data from several overpasses of the MODIS instrument, is called a “mosaic”.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/22/2025
Resolutions:
1km ( B),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Antarctica has been called the coldest, highest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth—and accurately so. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) notes that the world record lowest temperature is from the remote Antarctic station, Vostok, where the temperature has dropped to -89°C (-128.2°F). The continent is capped by an inland ice sheet, up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) thick, which is estimated to contain approximately 90 percent of Earth’s total surface fresh water. The BAS reminds us that, despite the abundant but frozen water, Antarctica is classified as a cold desert and receives the snowfall equivalent to only 150 mm (5.9 inches) of rain each year.
On December 22, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of Antarctica on the first full day of summer. Fast ice clings to the continental edges while swirls of sea ice float freely around Antarctica. Two large ice shelves can easily be identified in this image, both in West Antarctica. The Ross Ice Shelf sits near the bottom of the image while the Ronne Ice Shelf stretches between the Antarctic Peninsula, in the upper left, and the Weddell Sea.
The lines that cross the continent are artifacts created by blending several MODIS images together to create a full view of Antarctica. This type of image, which blends data from several overpasses of the MODIS instrument, is called a “mosaic”.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/22/2025
Resolutions:
1km ( B),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
