Good news for the fans of Vincent Van Gogh, NASA has successfully photographed a real-life Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night from orbit!
The American space agency attracted attention by taking photos in the Baltic Sea. The sea near Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, was filled with greenish phytoplankton, which was observed whirling.
The tiny marine plants known as phytoplankton are thought to constitute the foundation of the ocean's food chain. The Free Press Journal mentioned that phytoplankton blooms when exposed to sunlight.
In the style of Van Gogh's painting 'Starry Night,' massive congregations of greenish phytoplankton swirl in the dark water around Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. Phytoplankton is microscopic marine plants that form the first link in nearly all ocean food chains. Population explosions, or blooms, of phytoplankton, like the one shown here, occur when deep currents bring nutrients up to sunlit surface waters, fueling the growth and reproduction of these tiny plants. The image was taken by Landsat 7 on July 13, 2005.
A Starry Night in the Baltic Sea
According to NASA's explanation of this surreal image, astronauts found massive quantities of greenish phytoplankton swirling like the well-known Starry Night near the Baltic Sea.
In the agency's official Instagram post, the scene's center is bisected upward by the tiny island of Gotland, encircled by the vibrant Baltic Sea.
Warm green hues may be seen in the meadows and woodlands. The county seat of Visby is highlighted by a tiny patch of gray on the island's western shore.
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Small marine plants called phytoplankton are the foundation of almost all ocean food systems. Deep currents allow phytoplankton populations to erupt or bloom when nutrients are transported to surface waters exposed to sunlight, as in this picture.
Additionally, the development and reproduction of these tiny plants are supported by the sunlight's nutrient-rich rays.
But the Landsat satellite also collected information from various observations, which might help us understand our world better.
According to NASA, Landsat helps us understand how the world is changing by measuring the pace of Antarctic glaciers, monitoring water use in western US agricultural regions, and spotting deforestation in the Amazon jungle.
Phytoplankton Bloom Explained
Phytoplankton uses photosynthesis, which converts solar energy from the sun into chemical energy in a manner similar to land plants. They breathe out oxygen and take in carbon dioxide.
NASA said all phytoplankton photosynthesize. However, some also eat other species to obtain additional energy.
For phytoplankton to flourish, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and nutrients must all be present. Including terrestrial plants, different phytoplankton requires different nutrients like nitrate, phosphate, silicate, and calcium.
Additionally, due to the need for trace amounts of iron, phytoplankton development is constrained in most oceanic regions due to the low iron concentrations.
Under the right conditions, phytoplankton populations may overgrow, a process known as a bloom. Satellite images show oceanic colors, which may cover hundreds of square kilometers. A phytoplankton's life cycle only lasts a few days, despite the fact that a bloom may last for a few weeks.
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