Astronaut’s stunning Earth photo looks like ‘arteries in your retina’

By Trevor Mogg Published January 23, 2025

NASA astronaut Don Pettit has captured another remarkable shot, this one showing the Betsiboka River estuary in Madagascar.

“Betsiboka river in Madagascar, remind me of the arteries in your retina,” Pettit said in a post accompanying the image that he captured from the International Space Station (ISS) some 250 miles above Earth.

Betsiboka river in Madagascar, remind me of the arteries in your retina. pic.twitter.com/ZM7KG0nFgx

— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 23, 2025

The bright red color is due to the high concentration of iron-rich sediments carried by the waterway. The estuary is a excellent example of rapid coastal change due to extensive deforestation, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory website. A century of logging there has led to severe erosion, with the bright red soils washing into rivers after rains. Other astronauts viewing the scene from the ISS have described it as Madagascar “bleeding into the ocean.”

Sediment accumulation has even clogged waterways, preventing ships from traveling upriver as they once did. Tropical storms also exacerbate erosion in the area, as seen in 2004 when Cyclone Gafilo caused massive flooding and sediment flow. The government has implemented programs to address deforestation, promote reforestation, and reduce soil erosion in a bid to mitigate these environmental challenges.

Pettit has a sharp eye for dramatic vistas like this, and he’s usually quick to find a camera to record them. A similarly striking waterway image shared by Pettit last year shows moonlight reflecting off of locations in the Amazon basin in South America, a scene that he said looked like “flowing silver snakes.” Another image, showing light reflecting off SpaceX Starlink satellites, reminded him of “cosmic fireflies.”

The American, who’s been to space four times and at 69 years old is NASA’s oldest serving astronaut, recently talked about his photography work in an interview from the orbital laboratory.

And he likes to have fun, too, evidenced by a recent video that he shared showing how microgravity conditions can assist in changing camera lenses.