ESA releases Nepal's satellite image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2A

KATHMANDU: European Space Agency (ESA) has recently released a picturesque satellite image showing part of the central Nepal including the Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan foothills.

European Space Agence (ESA) has released a satellite image showing part of the central Nepal including the Kathmandu Valley at the top and the Himalayan foothills. This image, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme, was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 28 December 2015. Photo: ESA
European Space Agence (ESA) has released a satellite image showing part of the central Nepal including the Kathmandu Valley at the top and the Himalayan foothills. This image, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme, was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 28 December 2015. Photo: ESA

Vegetation appears red in this false-colour image, while waterways and buildings appear light green and blue, the ESA said.

The Ring Road and the runway of Tribhuvan International Airport can be distinguished in the Valley which appears at the top of this satellite image.

This satellite image demonstrates just a slice of Nepal’s varied terrain: from the mountains to the north to the plains in the south, the ESA said.

"We can see how water runs off of the mountains, forming large rivers that cut through the forested plain, with some areas of agriculture. The lower part of the image appears hazier than the mountainous areas because humidity is higher in the plains."

This image, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme, was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 28 December 2015.