Sun Glint, Bane of Scientists, Has a Silver Lining

Paros, Naxos, and other Greek islands resemble stones scattered across a rumpled satin sheet of vivid blue in this satellite image captured in late June. The stunning image is the result of an interplay between water and air, and the power of the Sun to shape what we—and our satellites—see. The optical phenomenon of sun glint plays a starring role in this painterly portrait of the Aegean Sea. “This image is interesting, and beautiful, because of the combination of sun glint and wind,” says Susan Kay, an ecosystem modeler at…

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