Image from Space Station Captures Large Smoke Plume Over Caspian Sea

Astronauts on the International Space Station took this image of a massive smoke plume emanating from a marsh fire along the northern coast of the Caspian Sea, near the Ural River delta in Kazakhstan. While even small fires are often visible from space, NASA officials say the density of the 217-mile plume in this image, captured on Sept. 11, shows the enormity of the fire, with the smoke closest to the source casting a shadow on the Caspian. White lines indicate the three pulses of the smoke, with the thicker smoke near the source progressively becoming more diffuse. In the image, the Caucasus Mountains, located about 680 miles southwest of the satellite’s nadir point, are visible on the opposite side of the Caspian Sea. Also visible is the Volga River delta in Russia, the largest river delta in Europe, which is reflecting sunlight in the direction of the satellite.