Kolkata on Space Canvas: ESA Shares Painting-Like Satellite Image of the City of Joy

Earlier in February, the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured a satellite image of India. And Kolkata — one of India’s largest cities with over 14 million inhabitants — really’s draws one’s attention. Visible in grey in the centre of the image, it displays the region’s unique landscape and lush rivers.

We can see the Hooghly River cutting through the city, and different shades of brown and blue in the water are likely due to the high concentration of sediments.

Vast agricultural and aquaculture fields can also be seen, including rice fields and fish ponds, which are distinguishable by their rectangular shapes and the presence of water, especially on the right side of the image.

Further, the expansive Sundarbans are visible in dark green in the bottom right corner. This protected national reserve, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to Bengal tigers and hosts a vast mangrove forest.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites in the same orbit. Each satellite carries an innovative wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager with 13 spectral bands for a new perspective of our land and vegetation.

As cities continue to expand, Sentinel-2 can also be used to improve urban and rural planning.

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