Images
September 6, 2026 - The Alps
Tweet
On September 3, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Alps.
The Alps form a crescent stretching from the Mediterranean coasts of Italy and France to Vienna, Austria. The peaks of this long mountain range are capped with snow year-round, and home to thousands of glaciers, some of which are melting rapidly due to a warming climate. They are the most populated mountain range in Europe, running through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Slovenia.
The snowpack in the high peaks provide water for an extensive area, making the Alps the most important water-supplying mountain range in Europe. Many of the most important rivers in Europe rise in the Alps, including the Danube, Rhine, Rhône and Po Rivers. South of the Alps, Italy’s wide, pale-toned Po Valley stretches across northern Italy.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/3/2026
Resolutions:
1km (558.4 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On September 3, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image centered on the Alps.
The Alps form a crescent stretching from the Mediterranean coasts of Italy and France to Vienna, Austria. The peaks of this long mountain range are capped with snow year-round, and home to thousands of glaciers, some of which are melting rapidly due to a warming climate. They are the most populated mountain range in Europe, running through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and Slovenia.
The snowpack in the high peaks provide water for an extensive area, making the Alps the most important water-supplying mountain range in Europe. Many of the most important rivers in Europe rise in the Alps, including the Danube, Rhine, Rhône and Po Rivers. South of the Alps, Italy’s wide, pale-toned Po Valley stretches across northern Italy.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/3/2026
Resolutions:
1km (558.4 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
