Synthetic aperture radar view of the Congo river

Filed under Earth observing missions, pretty pictures, Earth, radar imaging, hydrology

Go Back

Synthetic aperture radar view of the Congo river

This wide-swath radar image is a mosaic of two images centred over the Congo River, one of the largest rivers in the world flowing 4,374 kilometers from Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean. It was taken on December 23, 2002 from Envisat and is a synthetic aperture radar image, in which brightness corresponds to roughness of the surface. Water appears black in these images.

Original image data dated on or about December 23, 2002.

Most ESA images can be reused for noncommercial purposes as long as they are properly credited. For more information and other uses, read ESA's copyright notice.