This sweet image of the Mekong Delta is a composite of 3 pictures taken between January and November 2007 by Envisat, an Earth-observing satellite.
The satellite, which has since become inoperative, used advanced radar sensors, such as Envisat’s Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR), which were, “particularly suited for monitoring rice cultivation because they are able to detect waterlogged ground and penetrate the humid cloud coverage typical of Asian rice-cultivating regions.”
Saigon is that grey smattering of urban sprawl on the upper right of the image.
The image was obtained by combining three “ASAR acquisitions” taken on 9 January 2007, 13 February 2007 and 20 November 2007. The bright colors are on account of variations on the surface over the 11 month period in which the photos were taken.
