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May 26, 2026 - Spring Thaw at Lake Nipigon
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By mid-May 2026, Canada’s Lake Nipigon had nearly shed its thick winter coating of ice. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of a spring day over Ontario on May 20.
In this type of image, ice and snow appears electric blue, water shows dark blue, vegetation is bright green and open land looks tan. Clouds are white, although high, cold clouds that contain ice crystals may be tinted with electric blue.
Lake Nipigon is the largest lake contained entirely within Ontario, measuring about 70 miles (112.6 km) by 50 miles (80.5 km). A fisherman’s paradise, the lake hosts a thriving population of trophy brook trout, feisty lake trout, large walleye, and massive northern pike. The stunning lake sports tall cliffs in spots as well as unusual-looking beaches made up of pyroxene sand, which lends a green-gray look to the beaches.
The lake is located about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of the city of Thunder Bay, which lies on Ontario’s shore of Lake Superior. The lake drains into the Nipigon River and ultimately into Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior. The Nipigon River is one of the largest rivers to pour into Lake Superior.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/20/2026
Resolutions:
1km (153.3 KB), 500m (380 KB), 250m (454.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
By mid-May 2026, Canada’s Lake Nipigon had nearly shed its thick winter coating of ice. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of a spring day over Ontario on May 20.
In this type of image, ice and snow appears electric blue, water shows dark blue, vegetation is bright green and open land looks tan. Clouds are white, although high, cold clouds that contain ice crystals may be tinted with electric blue.
Lake Nipigon is the largest lake contained entirely within Ontario, measuring about 70 miles (112.6 km) by 50 miles (80.5 km). A fisherman’s paradise, the lake hosts a thriving population of trophy brook trout, feisty lake trout, large walleye, and massive northern pike. The stunning lake sports tall cliffs in spots as well as unusual-looking beaches made up of pyroxene sand, which lends a green-gray look to the beaches.
The lake is located about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of the city of Thunder Bay, which lies on Ontario’s shore of Lake Superior. The lake drains into the Nipigon River and ultimately into Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior. The Nipigon River is one of the largest rivers to pour into Lake Superior.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/20/2026
Resolutions:
1km (153.3 KB), 500m (380 KB), 250m (454.6 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
