Satellite Snaps Brilliant Figure 8 Algae Bloom

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(Image credit: ESA)

Microscopic algae create a bright blue figure 8 in a new photo snapped by a European Earth-observing satellite.Photosynthesizing micro-organisms called phytoplankton created the figure 8 in the south Atlantic Ocean, about 360 miles (600 kilometers) east of the Falkland Islands. The European Space Agency's Envisat spacecraft acquired the image on Dec. 2, 2011.

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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