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NASA shares never-seen-before picture of frozen seawater on Earth taken from ISS

“This soft serve machine is not broken,” NASA wittily wrote while sharing a picture of Earth taken from the ISS.

Published on: Feb 16, 2024, 12:02:53 IST
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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) often capture never-seen-before views of the earth which when shared on social media leave people mesmerised. NASA took to Instagram to share an image captured from the ISS that shows a “dazzling display of frozen seawater”.

NASA shared this image on Instagram that shows a view of Earth from the ISS. (Instagram/@nasa)
NASA shared this image on Instagram that shows a view of Earth from the ISS. (Instagram/@nasa)

“This soft serve machine is not broken. Threads of sea ice trace ocean currents, creating swirls visible along the coast of Labrador, in eastern Canada. The dazzling display of frozen seawater was captured from aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 3, 2024,” NASA wrote.

In the next few lines, the space agency explained what’s shown in the picture. “Ocean currents can stir ice chunks into circular vortices, or eddies. Eddies form frequently along boundaries between cold and warm ocean currents in the spring and fall, due to differences in water density. Even then, however, an ice eddy won’t form except under certain conditions: it must be warm enough for the ice to fragment, but cool enough for it to remain frozen,” they added.

Also Read: 5 breathtaking pics of Earth from space by NASA, ISS

According to an image description NASA shared on Instagram, the photo shows “a portion of Earth pictured from the International Space Station. The cast of Labrador, in eastern Canada, frames the left side of the image, while icy seas expand towards the right. An icy swirl is pictured down the centre of the water. A layer of blue glowing atmosphere contrasts with the darkness of space”.

Take a look at this incredible view of Earth from the ISS:

The post was shared nearly seven hours ago. Since then, the share has accumulated more than 2.1 lakh likes. The post has further collected tons of comments from people.

Also Read: 5 times NASA won hearts with their incredible Valentine’s Day posts

What did Instagram users say about this NASA post?

“Cloud soft serve,” wrote an Instagram user. “This is simply wow,” added another. “Wow, this is awesome,” added a third. “So beautiful,” commented a fourth. Many reacted to the video using heart emoticons.

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More